


House Rules 2: Playing House

by combatfaerie



Series: House Rules [2]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Brollins, Don't copy to another site, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Sex, Sexual Content, rollynch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:22:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25663570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combatfaerie/pseuds/combatfaerie
Summary: A sequel to HOUSE RULES. Becky and Seth might be more serious about their relationship, but that doesn't mean everyone else is. From friends to family to exes, everyone seems to have an opinion—and more often than not, it's not complimentary. Can their new relationship hold up under the pressure? (Again, in case you missed the warning: lots of sex, not much plot. If you've read HOUSE RULES, you get it. If you're looking for a plot, that princess is in still another castle, my friend, but she's checking her messages every once in a while.)
Relationships: Becky Lynch | Rebecca Knox/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black
Series: House Rules [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860730
Comments: 17
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

_Home._ Most of the older wrestlers owned at least one, but if they were actively competing, they never got to spend much time there. Becky was at that stage of her career now, but with an extra complication: she and Seth were living together. Sort of. He didn't want to give up his place in Davenport because his mom was nearby, plus he had his coffee shop and the wrestling school he ran with his best friend—and, if he were honest, he liked the possibility of going to Chicago Bears games, even if it didn't happen often. And Becky wasn't quite willing to give up on Los Angeles, that hustle and bustle of a dream she'd had since she was a kid. Rather than argue about it, though, they tried to see it as a bonus: as it was, they had a place to stay on both sides of the country and they still had their independence. In some ways, it wasn't much different than when they were hooking up, except now they officially had keys and they saved money on the road by only booking one room.

_It shouldn't feel this easy,_ Becky thought as she let herself into Seth's house. She still thought of it as his, just like the place in Los Angeles was still hers. But now she knew all the mundane little things, like where he kept the spare toilet paper and how he folded his sheets and what buttons were almost worn off the remote control because he used them the most. Seth was teaching at Black and Brave and his ex had taken Kevin for a weekend of hiking, so the house was strangely silent, which wasn't a bad thing. She had a video interview scheduled for the afternoon and those were always easier if Seth wasn't yelling about how much he hated football.

Before she shut the door, though, she noticed a box tucked just out of sight and bent to grab it. When she saw the logo of her favourite lingerie store— _their_ favourite, more correctly—Becky smiled and brought it inside, tucking it under the entry table and resisting the urge to open it. Seth hadn't mentioned any parcels or plans, so he must have wanted it to be a surprise. If he wanted to keep something from her, he usually had it delivered to the wrestling school, but she could see where a box of lingerie might raise eyebrows. Humming to herself, she went to the kitchen to start the coffee pot and then headed for her room to get it ready for the interview. 

In each place, they had a room of their own, a place where they could retreat if the other had plans or if they just needed some space. Seth's room in Los Angeles wasn't grand, but he didn't seem to mind; if they were fighting, Becky was more likely to go out on the balcony or take a shower anyway, giving him the run of the rest of the place. In Davenport, Becky had a lovely guest suite and since she was doing more video interviews now, she had purposefully kept one corner as bare and clean as possible. There were already rumours and fan theories about their relationship, but they hadn't made anything official yet and she didn't want to give something away by having a keen-eyed fan spot some piece of Seth's furniture in the background of one of her videos. 

Becky was just testing the connection when she heard the front door open. "Becks?" Seth called out, followed by two solid thumps. 

"Be right out!" Becky gave her computer desk one last look, put the laptop in sleep mode, and headed back to the living room. _God, he's gorgeous,_ she thought as she turned the corner and saw him. Now that they were together, she let those kinds of thoughts roam freely through her head, even though she knew they would likely get the pair of them into trouble some day. He had clearly showered at Black and Brave—his hair was too wet to just be sweaty—but hadn't bothered putting a shirt back on; he had shrugged into a zip-up hoodie, but it was half open, and Becky was quite happy to finish the job as she went over and kissed him. "Hey. Good class?" She eased the hoodie down over his shoulders and he let it drop the rest of the way.

"Yeah." Seth wrapped his arms around her and shuffled her backwards until they were in front of the couch. Then he sat and pulled her down on his lap, sliding his hands under her shirt. "One guy dropped out, but the rest are getting really good. Ruth is going to be amazing once she gains more confidence."

Becky nodded as she wriggled closer. She was by no means an official instructor at Black and Brave, but Seth and Marek both welcomed her insight whenever she wanted to drop in, and the students never seemed to mind. "I think she'd really benefit from talking to someone like Alexa or Kairi, someone who's smaller. She's seen other women her size do it; she just needs to figure out to how to make it happen for her."

Seth settled his hands around her hips. "Have you done your interview yet?" he asked, kissing her neck and pulling her in closer.

"No. It's in half an hour." It would actually be in an hour, but they had been together long enough that Becky had learned to budget some extra time for gathering clothes, cleaning up, and getting dressed. Sometimes even that theory didn't work, but it at least gave her more time to work with. "So you can have fifteen minutes. Make them count." She vaguely thought she heard the coffee maker beep, but she knew whatever Seth had in mind would be better than any caffeine hit; it probably had a safety shut-off feature anyway.

"My kind of challenge." Seth slid his hands under her shirt again, unhooking her bra and pushing it up. Becky peeled it and her t-shirt off at the same time, or at least tried to. Her shirt caught on her watch strap and Seth tugged it free and tossed it aside. Becky dropped the bra to the floor and pressed closer to him, letting her hands drift down his chest. "Any plans after the interview?"

Becky smiled against his mouth. "Just you. Unless you're doing something."

"Just you," Seth echoed, bracing an arm around her and pressing her down on the couch. It was the same one where they had first had sex and even though it now needed some repairs—in large part because of all of the sex that had followed—he joked that he didn't want to give it up for sentimental reasons. His mouth closed over her nipple before she could protest the _just_ , and his hands shoved at her hips, trying to work her shorts down.

"There's a button." Becky wedged a hand between them and unfastened it before Seth accidentally tore her shorts. They were her new favourite pair—her original favourite pair hadn't quite survived their long weekend spent at her place, but Seth had done his best to find a suitable replacement.

"I miss your leggings," Seth murmured against her breast. "Much easier to deal with." With the button undone, he was able to grab the shorts and her panties and tug them down as one, launching them towards the stairs. "I've been thinking about this all afternoon. Class seemed to take forever. . . ."

Becky laughed even as she gasped, hips rising to meet his hand. "Good thing you were wearing baggy shorts, then." She gave his head a gentle nudge when he went to kiss her other breast. "Ten minutes, remember?"

Seth started moving down her body, lingering at her hip. "You said fifteen."

"That was five minutes ago now, probably. I wasn't exactly counting. Someone's been distracting me," Becky pointed out, spreading her legs as much as she could. They really should have dashed up to the bedroom so they had more space, but the couch had a certain appeal they both found hard to resist.

"In that case. . . ." Seth rose to his knees, kicking his shorts off quickly before settling between Becky's legs again. His first thrust was so hard her head nearly bumped against the couch arm and Seth's pace only got faster, making the couch protest beneath them.

This was another reason why she always overestimated the time. Becky didn't want to lie to him, but she still enjoyed the frantic nature of their initial hookups, the hunger and the heat and the desperation. It wasn't an easy thing to recapture and even this wasn't quite the same, but there was nothing quite like the way his eyes darkened when he was inside her or how his fingers dug in when his climax was close. "Holy fuck," she gasped, raising both arms above her head and grabbing on to the couch arm. "Maybe I should start coming to your classes—" A strange trill made her pause. "Your phone?"

"Leave it," Seth growled, burying his face in her throat. He propped himself up on one arm, using the other to shove the coffee table as far away as he could. The light from his phone caught on the glass top, bathing them in flashes and colour. 

In answer, Becky wrapped her legs around him, digging in as best she could with her heels, and for another minute, the only sounds were their moans and pleas and the groans of the couch. Then his phone rang again, the generic ringtone having an eerie echo against the glass of the coffee table. "Seth, maybe you should—"

" _No._ " He stopped her from saying anything else with a rough kiss, then pressed a thumb against her clit, rubbing it in small circles the way she loved. It made her climax come too quickly, and she bucked up against him, nails digging into the couch upholstery. His orgasm was almost there—and then his other phone rang.

Becky almost forgot about his land line, but he kept it active for when he had his mom looking after his house—and as a backup in case any stalkers found out his cell number. He fell back with a roar of pure frustration as the voice mail beeped, and Becky crawled over to him, lowering her head to his cock. It wouldn't be the release he wanted, but it could at least tide him over until her interview was done. _He can choose the festivities for the night,_ she thought with a little shiver as she started to suck him. It wouldn't be an imposition, because anything he wanted to do always felt incredible.

_Hey, babe! Oh, ha. Right. Colby. Sorry. Hey, Colby! It's Sarah._ Seth twitched a bit at the sound of the voice and moved a hand to Becky's head, but she kept sucking him gently. _I thought you were at the gym today, but I must have just missed you; Marek said you were on your way home, but I called your cell and you didn't answer. You still have a landline?_ Laughter, then the sound of a slurp, like coffee through a take-out lid. Seth came at almost the same time, but as Becky sat up and went to move to the other side of the couch, he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead, holding her against his chest.

_You're such a dinosaur. Anyway, I had ordered some stuff online—you'll recognize the logo—and I just realized I forgot to change the shipping address on my account! I really need it for tonight, so I'm hoping I can swing by and pick it up. I won't stay long, I promise. It's . . . uh, three-thirty? Somewhere around there. I'm on my way. Maybe I can grab it before you get home and you won't even know. Sorry to bother you!_ The call ended abruptly, leaving the room in cooling silence.

"Shit. I'm sorry," Seth said, kissing Becky softly. "I didn't even see a box—"

"I saw it when I got home and brought it in. Sorry. I recognized the logo, so I just thought it was yours; I didn't even look—" Becky stood quickly and grabbed the box, setting it on the coffee table. _Guess that wasn't a surprise for tonight,_ she thought. She could hardly be mad at him for ordering lingerie for her from the same company his ex seemed to like; it was local and he was a big supporter of the Quad Cities, and Becky really did like how their pieces fit. Stooping to grab her shirt, she added, "I'll stay out of the way, I promise. Drama-free zone."

"Becks, you don't have to—" Seth was still fumbling his way into his shorts when the doorbell rang. "What the fuck?" he swore under his breath. "Was she speeding?" Raising his voice, he added, "Be right there!"

Becky grabbed her panties and shorts and dashed up the stairs, only realizing once she got to her room that she hadn't picked up her bra. _It should be close to the table,_ she thought as she took a clean bra out of her dresser, added it to her pile, and ducked into her en suite bathroom to clean up.

At least she meant to. She had water in the sink and had just grabbed a facecloth when she heard the doorbell again. Then the sane part of her stopped. Leaving the bundle of clothes on the toilet seat, the dripping facecloth still in her hand, she edged back to the hall door and opened it gingerly. "Hey, Sarah," Seth said, strain evident in his voice. Or maybe that's just what Becky wanted to hear. Had he put his hoodie back on too, or did he answer the door shirtless?

"Hey, Colby. I'm really sorry about this. I thought I switched everything over, but I guess I haven't ordered any lingerie in a while." Sarah's laugh made Becky's shoulders clench, and Becky forced herself to focus on wiping herself down quickly so she could get dressed for her interview. "Oh, did you open the box? No worries. Nothing you haven't seen before, right?"

"No, I—" Seth sounded confused and Becky was as well until she remembered her abandoned bra. Shutting her eyes, she could picture Seth picking it up and trying to hide the evidence: jamming it in his pocket, tucking it under a throw pillow, tossing it out of sight. 

"No, that's last season." There was Sarah's laugh again, like sandpaper on Becky's spine. "And definitely not my size. You're seeing someone already? That's good." Sarah's pause felt forced, although Becky had to concede that she wasn't the most unbiased listener. "Oh, she's here right now? Am I interrupting? I'm so sorry!"

"No. Yes." Even from down the hall, Becky could hear the soft growl Seth made when he was confused, and she used the lull to return the facecloth to the bathroom. "Yeah, she—we have plans. She's in the shower, so maybe you can meet her another time." If Sarah couldn't feel the _leave now_ vibes Seth was giving off, she was utterly oblivious. "You said you had plans. . . ."

"Oh! Right! Yeah." The slight giggle made Becky think of the teenage girls who acted air-headed and stupid to appeal to boys, and she had to bit her lip to keep quiet. "I'll update my account tomorrow, I promise. Sorry again. It . . . was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah. Have a good night." When Becky heard the door close again, she scurried back to the en suite, but there was a knock on her door within seconds. "Becks?"

"Yeah?" she called out, running more water in the sink. "Just cleaning up—"

"Don't." Seth leaned against the door frame of the en suite. "Sorry about that. I got rid of her as fast as I could." Glancing down, Becky saw her bra dangling from his hand. "You forgot this."

Becky felt her cheeks warm. "Not on purpose, I swear."

Seth's mouth twitched in a smile. "I know." He tossed the bra behind him onto her bed and pressed her against the vanity, hoisting her up before taking her face in both hands and kissing her. "And I also know when your _actual_ interview time is, so I know I have some time to make it up to you."

Spreading her legs so Seth could stand between them, Becky let herself enjoy the kiss for a long moment. That was why she always budgeted more time, after all. "Guilty as charged," she agreed. She didn't bother explaining why; Seth would have already figured it out. "What's my sentence?"

Seth slid a hand up her thigh, running his thumb over her clit again. "If I were mean," he murmured against her throat, voice almost a purr, "I would distract you during your interview, but we're already on shaky grounds with the McMahons." They had disclosed their relationship to their bosses for transparency's sake, but Vince didn't seem too happy about having two of his top stars romantically involved: he probably worried that if one of them wanted to leave, the other would follow. "So I'll think of something while you're doing your thing. Until then. . . ." He slid one finger inside her, then two. "I wanted to fill you up so you were thinking about it during the whole interview," he whispered against her shoulder, "but this will have to do."

He pushed his fingers in as deep as he could, knowing just where to press, and he made Becky come twice more before he stepped back. "I better have time for a shower," she panted, sliding off the vanity, "or else you know what the interviewer's going to assume."

Glancing down at his watch, Seth grinned. "You have about ten minutes to get ready. I'll leave you to it." He kissed her again and stepped out of the en suite. "I have a night to plan."

Becky turned the shower as cold as she could bear and jumped in, yelping when the icy water hit her back. She rinsed off quickly, knowing she would just need another shower later if Seth had his way, and wrangled her hair into a decent braid before drying off and getting dressed. Her skin was still damp enough that the clothes—especially her bra—felt annoyingly clingy, but she would have to make do. Even with her extra time allotment, she barely logged on and had her video feed set up by the appointed time. As soon as she saw the interviewer, she promptly apologized.

He was gracious, though, and gave Becky a few minutes to settle and prepare while his co-host did the preamble. Throughout the entire half-hour interview, Becky kept expecting Seth to tease her in some way, maybe masturbating in her doorway or sending suggestive texts while she was trying to focus, but aside from bringing her a cup of coffee, he kept quiet. Suspiciously quiet. The thirty minutes seemed to take hours and Becky had to stop herself from pressing her thighs together, but neither of the hosts seemed to think she was acting strangely. After she said her goodbyes and shut everything down, she stood and went to the door. "Seth?" she called out.

"Downstairs," he replied. When Becky reached the living room, she found Seth on the couch, looking at something on his tablet. Her old bra, the one Sarah had dismissed as being _last season_ , was on the seat beside him. He followed her gaze and then grinned. "I didn't realize lingerie came in seasons," he said with a chuckle. "So I'm fixing my mistake."

Becky curled up beside him, looking at the sample pictures. "It doesn't bother me. It's comfortable. I like it, you like it—"

Seth turned to give her a kiss. "I more than like it."

"Fine." Rolling her eyes, Becky stretched her legs out over his knees. "But I still don't care if it's old."

"I know." Seth scrolled down the page. "This one comes in green. It could be your St. Patrick's Day present. Bra, panties, stockings. . . ."

"Ah, yes. The traditional St. Patrick's Day present. I'm glad you're respecting my heritage." Becky kissed his cheek. "I thought you liked me in black."

"I do. And white. And red. But mostly in nothing." Then he leaned back, giving the screen an appraising look. "The crotchless ones don't come in green, though."

Becky made a face. "Don't even. And not those ones with the cut-out in the back either. You destroy them way too quickly."

Seth laughed. "And a pair ended up in my gear bag." When Becky's eyes went wide, he pulled her onto his lap again. "Don't worry. Only Roman saw."

"Did he give you another speech?" Most of the locker room knew Seth and Becky were dating, and many of their fellow wrestlers had warned Seth that he had better treat her well. She knew it irked him a bit and she could understand why—he had already endured a bitter break-up and a photo leak scandal—so she felt a bit guilty that it also made her smile. The locker room was like an extended family, so it meant the others were looking out for her—and she was pretty sure the threats were mostly in jest. Except, perhaps, Samoa Joe's.

"No. Just said if I need to fuck you in that much of a hurry, I should learn to undress you faster." Seth's eyes were molten again. "So I was thinking I should get in some practice tonight." His gaze travelled up and down her body and it was the polar opposite of the icy shower Becky had endured earlier. "And as I level up, it has to get more challenging, right?" He motioned the tablet once more before setting it aside. "That's why I was shopping."

Becky turned around in his lap to face him, stroking his beard. "I suppose if it's to help you practice," she allowed, "a pair or two wouldn't hurt. But they stay here, and I'm only wearing them in the house."

"Fine by me. It's my second favourite place to undress you." Seth pulled her close and kissed her, and though it wasn't as feverish as the kiss before Sarah's interruption, it still made Becky melt.

"Second favourite?" It was bait and she knew it, but the game worked because they both loved playing it. "Where's the first?"

" _Everywhere_ ". Wrapping his arms around her, Seth kissed her slowly, urging her closer until she was on his erection. "Here or upstairs?" he asked.

"The poor couch might need to recover," Becky said. Plus she didn't want to be anywhere near his answering machine. "Besides, there's more practice equipment upstairs."

Seth's eyebrows rose as he stood, lifting her carefully. "Practice equipment? This is starting to sound pretty technical."

Becky gave a playful shrug. "You have to commit, you know? If it's too much, I could see if Roman would—" She couldn't finish the teasing barb because he kissed her again, deep and forceful, and they made their way up the stairs slowly, not wanting to trip. Becky had to miss a house show once because she had pulled a muscle while riding him, and trying to think of a non-sexual explanation to tell the McMahons had taken them a while.

"From now on," Seth declared, "I'm not telling him anything." They both knew it was a lie, and once they were in the master suite—Becky couldn't quite call it _their room_ yet, but it didn't feel like just Seth's either—their focus changed entirely. Seth undressed her with exaggerated care, lingering over each curve, drawing out each touch as long as he could until she was naked. Then he let her take the same care with him. 

Once all their clothes were off, though, the gentleness gave way too and they tangled together, thrusting and grasping until Becky had him on his back. "I thought the point was to undress me _faster_ ," she teased as she started to rock her hips, running her nails down his chest.

Holding her gaze, Seth smirked. "Oops. I guess we have to start over." He gripped her hips and feigned trying to roll her over, but Becky just slid her hands over his.

"Nope. Next round," Becky declared, leaning down to kiss him. "This one is mine now."

"Says who?" Seth's fingers tightened on her hips as he moaned, back arching as Becky changed her rhythm. "I thought I was in charge."

Becky's laugh filled the room. "You were planning the night. That's all. I never said anything about being in charge."

"Pretty sure you did." Seth exerted a bit more pressure on her hips, tilting his own at the same time.

"If you want control that badly," Becky grinned, grabbing his hands, pulling them off her hips, and pinning his wrists to the bed, "then try to take it."

" _Try?_ "

Becky smiled, tightening her grip on his wrists. "You heard me." At the same time, she widened her stance over him, giving her legs more room to manoeuvre. Seth was going to make his move soon—very soon, since he hadn't had his desired finish earlier downstairs—and she was going to make sure they both enjoyed it.


	2. Chapter 2

Once their relationship became common knowledge backstage, Seth figured the attention would die off. Maybe not from the Iconics, who always swooned—and squealed—a bit when they saw him and Becky kissing, but he assumed the novelty had worn off for everyone else. At the very least, it would have been appreciated if people stopped giving him the _don't screw this up_ speech. He knew they were mostly doing it because Becky was so beloved, by the crew straight through to the upper brass, and no one wanted to see her treated badly, especially after how her last ex-boyfriend spoke about her in interviews.

But the interest didn't seem to be waning. If anything, people were getting more invested. When one of them was alone, they were asked where the other was. Naomi kept making comments about wanting to be an auntie. It was all a bit overwhelming, but mostly in a good way. When he had joined WWE, his then-girlfriend hadn't been able to attend many events, so she had mostly been an afterthought in conversations he had backstage. Wading through the wreckage of that break-up, he'd had a short-lived relationship with another wrestler that hadn't made him very popular behind the scenes, so he made sure his next girlfriend wasn't involved in the business at all. Combining work and play could be dangerous, he knew, but there was also something very rewarding about being able to spend time with Becky at home and on the road.

That didn't mean they were attached at the hip—though Seth thought Roman would disagree with that—but the crew often acted like they were. Seth could tell by the way the technician was looking at him that she was actually looking for Becky. At least she had the grace to look apologetic. "Do you know where Becky is? There's a guy named Luke looking for her. He's been cleared by security, so he's safe. Apparently he's some MMA guy?"

Seth fought to keep his expression blank. _Some MMA guy_ , he thought, keeping his snarl to himself. "Oh? What does he want? Tips on how to beat McGregor? She'll never betray a fellow Irish."

"Who's Irish?" 

Normally Seth brightened up whenever he heard Becky's voice, but right then, he wished she would have arrived just half a minute later. Then he could have told the tech that Becky was busy, Luke would be sent on his way, and he wouldn't have his evening blotted out by the shadow of an ex-boyfriend. He couldn't remember Becky saying anything bad about him—their breakup had been amicable and mostly due to their schedules—but that wasn't much solace. If things had worked out between them, he might never have had a chance with Becky. Even a year ago, Seth probably would have laughed at the prospect of dating someone he considered a close friend; now he found it hard to go more than a few days without seeing her. "Hey, babe," he said, turning to face her. Becky's eyebrows spiked a bit—he didn't usually use pet names beyond _Becks_ for her in public—but she hugged him easily. "Sounds like Luke is looking for you."

Becky looked surprised, at least. "Really?" Then she shrugged. "Guess it makes sense. The fights were in Vegas this past weekend, so he could still be here." When she looked up at Seth, he did his best to keep his expression neutral. "I'm just going to say hi quick and ask how his daughter's doing, okay? I won't be too long."

"Sure. I'll go catch up with Roman." Seth gave her a lingering kiss and watched her leave—for about ten seconds. Then he turned and went to find Roman. "Where's security clearance?" he asked his Shield brother. "You know, for when you have a guest backstage."

The look Roman gave him could have broken steel. "You are not." He didn't even have to emphasize the words; his gaze was cutting enough.

Seth rolled his eyes. "Not for _me_. Becky's ex is here and wants to talk to her." He started to fidget until he felt like Brock Lesnar, bouncing from foot to foot.

Watching him carefully, Roman shrugged. "So what? The key word there is _ex_ , bro. Hell, you co-parent your dog with one of your exes and Becks is cool with it."

"I know. Just . . . come with me so I don't do something stupid." Seth was fairly certain he'd be able to stop himself before doing anything he regretted, but there were a lot of factors in play. Luke was an MMA fighter, so he was hardly a pushover; if it came to blows, there was a very real chance Seth would be on the losing end. If Roman were there, Seth was less likely to do something ridiculous. But there was also Becky to consider. He hadn't seen much of her reaction to Sarah's call and brief visit, but he was sure it wasn't as calm and controlled as she would have liked. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of her and look like some overbearing boyfriend.

"Bro, this _is_ something stupid," Roman retorted. He followed Seth anyway, taking shortcuts at a light jog so that they might reach the meeting area before Becky did.

To Seth's surprise, they did. Aside from security guards stationed at the doors, the only person there was a man sitting on a bench, flipping his phone in his hands. Seth motioned Roman back behind the corner. "Yeah, that's him. I remember her Instagram pictures."

"Seriously?" Roman shook his head. "You have nothing to worry about, man. Becky's with you now. You think she's going to be happy if she finds out you're eavesdropping on her? They went out for two years. The breakup was friendly. Nothing wrong with that."

Nothing except Seth couldn't stop thinking about what his life would be like now if Becky and Luke hadn't split. She would probably still be with him now; he remembered her saying that she always wanted kids, and Luke's daughter would have adored her. A sharp jab in the side from Roman broke Seth out of his reverie. "I know. I just want to hear if she says anything about me."

Roman rolled his eyes so dramatically they should have popped out of his head. "You're worse than a teenager, man." He leaned up against the opposite wall and sighed. "She's with you now. You've got the better man-bun. Just be happy. Once you start feeding this insecurity shit, it's hard as hell to stop."

Seth managed to stop himself from reaching for his hair. "Just this once," he promised, "and I'll never do it again." 

Before either of them could say more, Becky arrived. "Hey, Luke! Long time no see! Were you fighting this weekend? I haven't been keeping track." She went over and hugged him, and Seth forced himself to stay calm; it was the same generically warm embrace she used for fellow wrestlers backstage.

Luke's hug was was probably equally neutral, but that didn't mean it was any less annoying to Seth. "Nah. In two weeks. I was just scouting my opponent and then I saw that Monday Night RAW was going to be here, so I thought I'd stick around. There weren't any tickets left, but Hunter was on his way in and recognized me and said I could watch from the back."

"Great! I'm fighting Ruby Riott tonight," Becky replied, "so it should be a good one. How's Riley doing? I remember you being worried about her adjusting to her new school." The name Riley didn't ring a bell for Seth, but he assumed it was Luke's daughter.

"She's doing great. Amazing. Made lots of friends. Good grades." Then he laughed. "Still asks about you. Still watches all your matches. Still wants all your shirts."

Becky waved off the compliments with a chuckle. "Well, that explains the royalty boost last quarter. Ah, she's such a sweetheart. I miss her too. Send her my love."

"I will. How are you? Please tell me you're not still with that comedian. . . ." From the venom in his voice, Luke hadn't been a fan of Becky's latest ex either.

"What? No. _No._ I'm dating a wrestler now, actually." Seth couldn't see Luke's expression, but it must have been dramatic, because it made Becky laugh. "I know, I know, I said I didn't want to date anyone in the business. It just . . . kind of happened. We've been together for a few months now and it's been really good."

"I'm glad. You deserve that." Luke sounded remarkably chill. "He's a lucky guy. I hope he realizes that." Then he laughed again, the sound taking on a sinister edge as he added, "And that comedian is lucky you never complained to me about him, because if you had, he wouldn't be talking about much of anything. You know I got your back."

Seth saw Becky give an idle shrug. "He's going to say whatever he wants to say. Lesson learned, I guess. Anyway, I need to get ready for my match, but if there's any shirts Riley wants, just have someone tell me and I'll snag her some."

"Thanks, Becks. Have a good one." They hugged again and Seth pushed Roman further down the corridor when Becky turned to leave, but thankfully she took a different path and barely glanced in their direction.

"See?" Roman grabbed Seth by the shoulder and steered him towards the men's locker room. "You have nothing to worry about. Anyone who didn't know they dated would have thought they were just friends."

The notion didn't make Seth feel much better. After all, he and Becky had been _just friends_ for years, and even tried to maintain that when they first started hooking up. Luke's promise of support hadn't gone unnoticed either. "I know," he said at last. "I know, okay? I won't do it again."

"Good. Because both of you are better than that, and you need to start acting like it." Roman gave him a stern look. "Because let me tell you, man, if you ever start getting pissy with me for giving Becky a hug, you're not going to have to worry about her exes." Then he hugged Seth quickly, slapping him on the back. "Now get all this insecure, territorial bullshit out of your system before you go back to Becky, because she doesn't need to deal with that."

"Okay, _Dad_." Becky's match was on long before his, so Seth went back to the women's locker room area, hoping to catch her before she went out. "Becks!" he called out when he saw a glimpse of bright orange hair heading into the locker room. "Have fun out there."

To his surprise, Becky scurried over and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He half expected her to ask if Luke could join them for drinks after the show, but she just smiled up at him, adding fuel to the guilt Roman had ignited. "Thanks. Ruby's always a good match, so it won't be hard."

His curiosity got the better of him, and though he hated saying every word, Seth still asked. "How's Luke doing? He has a daughter, right?"

Becky nodded, resting her head against his chest. "Yeah. Her name's Riley. She's super sweet. I want to snag a couple new shirts for her before we leave. He's going to watch from backstage," she explained. "The show's sold out."

"Did you want to catch up with him after?" Seth asked, hoping his voice was normal—and that Becky said no. It didn't matter that he got to be with her at home and work; he wanted all the time with her that he could get.

"No. We didn't get a suite with a rotating bed so we could go out to a pub for drinks," she answered with a laugh. Then she pulled back to get a better look at him. "Are you okay? What's up?"

Seth shrugged it off. "Just thinking of what I have to do to get you out of here quicker, that's all."

"Step one would be letting me get ready for my match," Becky teased, giving him a last kiss before stepping back. "Step two would be having _your_ match."

"And step three?" The familiar teasing was making Seth feel more like himself. He didn't want to be a jealous, paranoid wreck, and it left a sour feeling in his stomach.

"Getting back to the hotel with all our clothes on and intact," Becky replied. "What else?"

Roman walked past them then, heading to the promo area. "At it again? Sex isn't a hobby. You know that, right? You guys could spend quality time doing . . . I don't know, jigsaw puzzles or something."

Seth laughed. "That's a little difficult to bring along on the road, man. We've got all the necessary parts for our hobby right here. . . ."

Shoving Seth in the chest, Becky started towards the women's locker room again. "So I'm a hobby now? Good to know." She gave him a quick wink, though, so he knew she wasn't truly mad at him.

Waiting until the door closed behind Becky, Roman shook his head. "That?" he said, pointing at where Becky had last stood. "That is why we're all telling you not to screw this up. Luke was right: you are a damn lucky guy. Don't take that for granted." He tapped his wedding ring the way some people knocked on wood. 

There was a lot to admire Roman for, Seth knew, and his devotion to his family was at the top of a very long list. The constant refrain might have been annoying from other people, but from Roman it still carried some heft. "I won't," he promised.

"And seriously, find a damn hobby already," Roman said in parting, chuckling as he held out his fist to bump. "Or else one of you is going to be the first wrestler shelved because of a sex-related injury."

Seth highly doubted that would be the case, but he kept that to himself. As the night went on, he calmed gradually, first watching Becky's match and then getting ready for his own. Every once in a while, he wondered if Becky had found Luke again just to chat, but he did his best not to dwell on it. His opponent for the night was Randy Orton, who wasn't someone you could afford to slack on. "Get your head out of Becky's pussy for five minutes and _concentrate_ ," Randy hissed in Seth's ear when he almost dislocated his knee in the middle of the ring.

When he told Becky that on the way to the hotel at the end of the night, she laughed so hard she spilled her coffee. "Holy shit. I hope the cameras didn't pick it up, because you know someone would have read his lips. Oh, god." She covered her mouth, but her laughter still bubbled out. "If we're not careful, they're going to put us on different shows."

"Not if they don't want an even bigger scene, they won't." When Seth glanced over at Becky, he expected to see her pressing a tissue to her leggings, but she was pushing them down instead. "Babe, what are you doing?" Then he heard two soft thumps, which he assumed were her shoes being kicked off. "We're still about fifteen minutes away."

Becky just grinned. "No, we're not. See that sign for the dog park?" She pointed at an amenities notice on the side of the road. "Follow it."

Seth obliged, careful to stay under the speed limit so he didn't get pulled over. It was bad enough dealing with traffic violations as a celebrity; now that Becky was half naked, he definitely didn't want the extra attention. "You kept your panties on, right?" He forced himself to focus on the road. So many people thought Vegas was just the famous Strip, but he knew it didn't take long to venture out into regular, residential areas. Following the directions for the dog park, he pulled into a large wooded area, lit only by erratically placed streetlamps. "What is this?"

"A dog park," Becky grinned, unbuckling her seat belt. "Like the sign says. Pull off over there." She gestured to where the trees were thickest and the light barely reached. Aside from some trash skittering across the asphalt, the parking lot was empty. Once Seth had parked, she wriggled her panties off and dropped them onto her leggings, which covered her shoes. "When I was talking to Luke, I told him I was dating a wrestler and he said he must be a lucky guy."

Seth stayed still as Becky climbed gingerly over the console. "I kn—"

He thought he caught himself in time, but Becky's knowing grin said differently. "I know. I saw you as I was leaving." She eased onto his lap and kissed him slowly as she unbuckled his seat belt and pushed it aside. " Move the seat back," she added as she reached up to open the moon roof.

It was difficult to manage with Becky on his lap, but Seth moved the seat back as best he could. Their bags were in the rear seats, so there wasn't much room to recline, but it was worth it for the visual of Becky straddling him, wearing more shadows and light than clothes as she pulled off her t-shirt and set it on the passenger's seat. "There could be cameras. . . ." Seth figured she must have come here with Luke at some point, but he didn't let himself dwell on that; if he'd learned anything from the incident with Sarah, it was that they didn't have to give up the good parts of their pasts with other partners—they could still respect them, even incorporate them into their new lives.

"There's not. I had Charlotte double-check for me before the show." Becky unbuttoned his jeans slowly, keeping their kisses slow. "Anyway, I didn't give the answer I really wanted to when Luke said that," she murmured, sliding her hands under his shirt. "So I thought I'd give it to you instead."

Seth squirmed out of his shirt and dropped it on Becky's before pulling her closer. "And what's that?"

"That I'm the lucky one." Becky pushed Seth's jeans down to his thighs and slid onto his cock, her left knee bumping against the console. "I know most people don't see it that way but I do."

He always had a moment whenever he entered Becky when the world seemed to blur: lights seemed softer, the air thicker, everything warm and hazy and serene. It didn't matter that they were in an SUV in an otherwise empty parking lot or that Becky was likely to have a bruise on her left knee the next morning from hitting the console over and over. It was the little things, like the way her bra straps slipped over her shoulders as she moved faster, or how her hips fit his hands perfectly. As Seth pulled her down so he could kiss her neck, he felt a drop of wetness, then another and another. "Becks, it's raining," he murmured. When he reached up to close the moon roof, though, she intercepted his hand and put it back on her breast. "And this is a rental. . . ."

"Please. It's just light. If it starts to downpour, then fine, but. . . ." The look in her eyes, soft and yearning, was too hard to resist, and in all honesty, Seth didn't want to. The interior was leather and would be easy to wipe clean if the rain remained a drizzle, and there was something magical about watching Becky reach up and grab the moon roof's frame with both hands, bracing herself as she moved faster and faster.

Seth pushed her bra up over her breasts, licking rain droplets off her skin as his hands roamed. When she started to shiver, more from pleasure than the chill, he sat up more and braced one arm around her waist. "We should go camping," he groaned. "Back in Iowa. . . ."

"I'm not wearing fancy lingerie in a tent," Becky warned, dropping one hand to his shoulders and digging her nails in. 

"The point would be to be wearing nothing at all, remember?" The rain started falling in earnest, but by that point neither of them cared about anything but each other. Even after Becky's first orgasm almost made her jerk back against the steering wheel, they left the moon roof open, basking in the rain as they fumbled around until Becky was pressed against the seat and Seth was on top, rain slicking his back. It was rough at times and always slippery, but they kept fucking fiercely until the rain started falling too hard and they had to close the moon roof at last. "Fuck, that was incredible." He could feel the seat squishing underneath his ass—at some point, he must have managed to peel off his jeans—but he didn't care. He'd buy the rental company a new car if it came to that; there was no way he was trading the past hour for anything.

"Good thing we left our bags in the back," Becky said, voice honey-slow, "or else you would have had to run outside." Then she chuckled, running a hand down his chest. "Actually, on second thought. . . ."

Like Seth's jeans, their bags had been unceremoniously moved during the fucking as well, shoved out of the way to get the driver's seat as horizontal as possible. Becky's ended up too far back to reach easily, but Seth managed to get his. He grabbed a towel out for each of them, but was too busy watching Becky dry off. "You okay with your clothes? You can borrow a shirt, if you want." He had grabbed a dry t-shirt and his workout shorts.

Becky shook her head. "I'll be fine." There was no room to stand up in the SUV, so she wormed around, drying off herself first and then her seat, draping the towel over it so she had a place to sit as she dressed. Since she had been wearing it at the start, her bra was soaked, but she wrung it out as best she could and put it back on before wriggling into her panties and leggings. "Maybe we should just take it to get . . . detailed? Is that what's it's called?" When Seth nodded, she blushed a bit. "The moon roof was my idea, so I'll pay for it."

Seth shook his head. "I've got it. I was the stupid one. I should have trusted you. I'm sorry." Then he gestured at the mess around them: sodden clothes, wet interior, damp hair. "Not for this, mind you. No, I will take more of this any time."

"Camping." Becky said the word as if testing it out. "Does that count as a hobby?"

"I think so." Once things were as dry as they could get them and they were both fully dressed, Seth tossed the towels into the back and started the car again. "Coffee?" he asked. "Or to the hotel?"

"Hotel," Becky said. "You need your rest."

Seth laughed. "We'll see about that." All the insecurities had ebbed away, and he knew it wasn't just the sex, although that had certainly helped. It was Becky herself who had allayed his fears. Rather than dismiss his concerns, she made sure he knew how she felt. While he would never begrudge a surprise like that, Seth felt more confident about bringing up any misgivings he might have. 

Since they were so late in arriving at the hotel, they thought they wouldn't run into anyone on their way up to their suite. They had crammed everything in their bags, resolving to sort it out later, and were talking about how much damage they thought the rental SUV had suffered when Roman came out of his room, cell phone in one hand and a shopping list in the other. "Have a good ni—" He stopped short when he saw their damp, dishevelled state. "Seriously? Seriously? Where did you even—no. No. I don't want to know. You two are ridiculous. I swear." Sputtering, he gestured at Seth. "Jeans! You were wearing jeans! What did you—" He shook his head. "No. The less I know, the better, I think."

"Have a good night, Roman." Becky went over to hug him, rising on tiptoe. "Say hi to the kids for me."

"You two are _beyond_ ridiculous," Roman muttered as he walked down the hall, turning to face them. "I'm going to get you . . . I don't know. A backgammon board or something."

Seth waited until Roman was at the other end of the hall to turn towards Becky and grin. "Is strip backgammon a thing?"

Becky shrugged, pulling her room key out of her purse and opening the door. "I don't know. We could make it a thing."

"Strip backgammon," Seth repeated. "Strip Trivial Pursuit? Instead of getting wedges, you get pieces of your opponent's clothing." 

Pushing him inside their suite, Becky grinned. "As long as there's no strip video games. You'd always win." Normally they didn't unpack their bags right away, but since everything was damp, they did, hoping it would have a chance to dry before they had to leave in the morning.

Seth grabbed the waistband of her leggings and pulled her close. "Shower or rotating bed?"

"Bed first." Her wicked grin implied that the shower would be needed later. Much later.


	3. Chapter 3

"It's a good thing you found a cover for this chair." Seth ran a hand along the slipcover, the other firmly curled around Becky's hip. Her favourite chair probably wasn't built to seat two, but they made it work. Having sex in it was more of a challenge, but that was half the fun. It was fine for oral, since it gave the recipient plenty of room to stretch, but the only other positions that tended to work were ones with Becky on top. She didn't mind that, of course, and Seth didn't either, but it rather limited their options, so it was often more of a cuddling or make-out spot than their first choice to fuck.

Becky gave its curved back an affectionate pat. "I know. I should have bought a spare. I'll have to find the website again." She was mostly sitting in Seth's lap, her legs dangling over his knees. "I should look for another chair too. For at your place." Seth quite openly called it _our house_ , but something kept Becky from following suit as readily. She knew she had said it from time to time, and she had no problem with sharing his place in Iowa or her place in Los Angeles, but they were already getting a lot of flak for how quickly their relationship was progressing. People clearly forgot that they had known each other for years and were already good friends. Thinking back, she could remember people in gyms and cafes who assumed they were dating and she and Seth would laugh it off. _No, just friends_. When things changed in her life, it always seemed like it was in a monumental way, so she supposed dating Seth after years of being _just friends_ would be no different.

Seth moved his free hand to her back and stroked slowly, tracing the curves of her shoulder blades. "Or you could just have this one shipped to Iowa," he replied, voice catching a bit near the end.

"What do you mean? Then what would I use here?" She blamed her slowness to follow his train of thought on the sex. He had just fucked her soundly over the back of her couch, and she still felt a low buzz in her fingers and toes. 

"How often are we here, really? Even when we have events in California," Seth pointed out, "we're usually so busy with signings that we don't have much time to spare. We're here to sleep—and fuck—" That addition came only when Becky raised an eyebrow. "And that's about it. We don't really cook much here; if we eat here, it's usually something we've ordered in."

Becky started to feel a chill that had nothing to do with her body temperature. "You'd rather stay in a hotel then?"

Seth shrugged, hand drifting down her hip. "No. You know I love your place—"

"My place," Becky said softly. "How is your house in Iowa _our place_ but this is just _my place_?" She could feel her muscles stiffen, the afterglow of pleasure giving way to the potential of an argument, and she hated it. They had so little personal time away from the road and hotels, and she didn't want to waste it squabbling.

Seth seemed to sense he was entering delicate territory and he straightened up, pulling Becky more properly into his lap. "Becks, you know what I mean." He gestured at her living room before settling his hand on her thigh. "You know I'm comfortable here. That's why I would usually ask if I could stay here rather than a hotel when I was in town . . . you know, before. But I always kind of figured Los Angeles was temporary for you, I guess. You've talked about wanting to stay with the business after you retire, and right now that means Florida. . . ."

"Sure, but I'm not retiring for a while yet. And if I do more acting, then Los Angeles would be better," Becky replied, trying to calm herself by combing her fingers through his curls. He meant well, she knew he did, but he didn't seem to get that Los Angeles had meaning for her. She had fallen in love with the city when she was young and its charisma still called to her.

"I suppose." Seth ran his knuckles up and down Becky's thigh as he fell quiet. "I just thought our place in Iowa has more space, plus I have land. My cafe's there, the wrestling school, my family. . . ."

Becky frowned, but she tried to keep it from her eyes. She knew how loyal Seth was to his hometown, to his mother, and she loved that he wanted to invest in his community. But those were all _his_ things—not hers, not _theirs_. "Just because I don't have a business here yet doesn't mean I don't have roots." She tried to keep her voice light, but she could hear the bitterness seeping in at the end. Like a lot of the wrestlers in their thirties, she already had an eye on her endgame, what she would do when she couldn't wrestle anymore. Acting was definitely at the top of the list, but she had considered being a trainer as well or opening up a shop of some kind.

"I know. Becks, I—" Seth struggled for a moment, clearly wanting to say something, but he ended up kissing her instead, cupping her face with both hands. "I didn't mean to make it sound like there's nothing for you here. I just want you to know that there's a place for you in everything I have. You know you're always welcome at Black and Brave. And land is a lot cheaper in Iowa if you wanted to start up a different business. Plus it's closer to the east coast. The flights for your family would be shorter whenever they came to visit," he added, clearly hoping to sway her.

But her family loved Los Angeles too. Her mother had ignited Becky's love of the city and they both cherished the mother-daughter days they were able to spend there, shopping and sight-seeing. "I like Los Angeles," she said simply, resting her head on his shoulder so he would know she wasn't mad—and, perhaps, so she didn't have to look at him for a few moments while she composed herself. "I'm not ready to give it up yet."

"I wasn't asking you to." Seth's arms tightened around her and he sighed. "Fuck. I'm sorry. I killed the mood, didn't I?"

Becky had to laugh at that. They might have been dating and living together, but in some ways they still acted like they were hooking up and had something to hide. "It's fine." Then she reached down between them and squeezed his cock gently. "And it looks like the mood is intact. I hope arguing isn't one of your kinks, though. Spanking is fine, but arguing is exhausting."

"And I'd much rather be doing something else with my mouth," Seth replied with a slow grin.

She could force the point. It was a discussion they would need to have sooner or later, especially if the relationship kept progressing as quickly as it was. But maybe that was part of the problem: on some level, Becky was looking for the plateaus, the places where the intensity ebbed a bit and gave her a chance to assess. The more self-deprecating part of her called those _jumping-off points_ , but she was doing her best to ignore it. Having the conversation right that minute, however, wouldn't help anything. It was something they could talk about on the road between shows, on the plane home—whichever home it happened to be that week—or even backstage. Time alone together was much rarer, so she let the grievance slide the same way Seth slid out from under her, kneeling on the floor and spreading her legs. The late afternoon sun made him look like some bronze statue out of antiquity, and it was easy to let herself enjoy how his beard scratched her inner thighs and the way his fingers seemed to curl completely around her hips. Once upon a time, their whole relationship had been easy: just sex and then figuring out when and where they could fuck again. Now that feelings and futures were involved, she found herself missing mundane things like worrying about hotel room bookings. This was a whole new relationship plateau for her, and she needed time—

"Becks? You okay?" Seth sat back enough that she could see his lips glistening, and she almost kicked him accidentally when he slid his fingers inside her. "You're usually more . . . talkative."

Becky laughed at the euphemism. She wasn't sure if it was an Irish stereotype or not, but she tended to swear up a storm when the sex was really good—and with Seth, it almost always was. "Just enjoying the view, that's all," she replied, smoothing hair away from his face. "You look good on your knees."

Seth pulled her forward until she was sitting at the very edge of the chair, gazing down at him. "Then we're going to have to get a mat when you're looking for another cover." He pressed a light kiss to her thigh before sliding his fingers in again. "And a chair to be sent to Iowa."

"Seth, I don't nee—" Becky gasped a bit when his tongue started playing again too, his free arm holding her in place as best he could. 

She gripped his shoulders for balance as he made her come over and over again and she didn't have enough breath left to yelp when Seth lifted her up and carried her back to the bedroom. _Our bedroom_ , she thought—as much as she was able to think, anyway. She wished she had thought to make a note about the chair cover, because at the rate Seth was going, she wasn't going to remember her own name by the time they had dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

"Furniture shopping." Roman had said it at least four times now, and it sounded more ludicrous each time. "You two have gone from fucking like bunnies to planning to spend the weekend _furniture shopping_? _Right_. Let me guess: it's a kink, right? Or some new challenge, like the Mile High Club? 'Have sex in IKEA without getting caught' or something like that?"

"No." Seth was increasingly relieved he hadn't told Samoa Joe about his and Becky's weekend plans when he'd asked; the ribbing would only have been worse—and louder. "There's a chair she has back in Los Angeles that she really likes, and she doesn't want to send it to Iowa, so—"

"Whoa. Wait." Roman squeezed out some of the excess water from his hair and pointed an accusing finger at Seth. "You seriously suggested she ship some of her furniture to your place?"

It was one thing to call his home _our place_ when it was just him and Becky, but Seth knew the general consensus about their relationship was that it was going too fast. "Yeah. She really likes it," he explained, feeling defensiveness creep into his voice like bile, "and she's got a room or two at my place already, so. . . ."

"A room or two. Damn." Roman nodded slowly. "I'm not going to say you're whipped, because I know that's not it. Well, not that kind of whipped, anyway. But . . . sharing space, picking out furniture—that's big, man. Are you sure you're ready for that so soon?"

Seth muttered a quick curse. Roman was just looking out for him—always had, always would; he knew that—but somehow the admonition coming from his Shield brother felt a hundred times worse. "Becks and I have known each other for years, man. You know that. And it's not like we were just casual friends before; we were really close—"

Roman clasped Seth's shoulder and shook it. "Not what I meant, bro. I know all that, and you know I adore Becky. I think she's good for you. What I meant is do you think it's smart to make these kind of moves so quick after breaking up with Sarah?

"What? We broke up months ago, man, and even before it was official, it was . . . obvious." When he and Sarah had been drifting to their eventual end, it had been so easy to lie and say everything was fine, so easy to believe in a relationship he only had to put effort into a few days a week. With Becky, it was different: unless there was a drastic difference in their schedules, they saw each other nearly every day.

"It was recent enough that she hadn't updated her mailing address," Roman pointed out, making Seth regret sharing the story. He had thought it was funny, one of those weird foibles that you remembered as a cautionary tale, but apparently Roman was reading something far deeper into it. "You don't really think that was coincidence, do you? 'Forgetting' about her address and then calling to pick it up. Especially when the item in question is lingerie? I bet you if she hadn't seen Becky's bra on the floor, she probably would have asked if she could model hers for you and get your opinion."

"No way, man. She's probably seeing someone; she said she needed the package for later that night." Seth shook his head. He knew he could be pretty oblivious at times, but he didn't remember Sarah giving off any vibes except awkwardness. "She was probably just embarrassed that Becky was there."

Roman shot him a look. "If you say so, man. I'm just saying you don't have to worry about Becky. She's solid. She's not going to start pressuring you, so focus on actually enjoying the relationship, okay? And don't forget she just ended a long-term relationship not that long ago too. Take your time. You don't want to screw up a friendship and a relationship at all once, you know?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Seth scoffed. He accepted Roman's hug, though, and headed out of the locker room, surprised to see Becky already waiting for him. "Hey, babe. You finished up fast." He kissed her before she hopped down from her perch on the equipment crate, taking advantage of the height boost it gave her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. The girls were talking about some new phone app," Becky said as she eased down to the floor and grabbed her bag, "so I thought I'd wait here for you instead. Bye, Roman! See you Monday!"

"Bye, Becks!" After waving, Roman shot her a wink. "Have fun furniture shopping!"

Becky watched Roman head off before turning to Seth. "He thinks it's a sex thing, doesn't he?"

"Well, I mean, if he does, he's not exactly wrong," Seth pointed out, nudging Becky towards the parking lot. RAW had been in Chicago, so it was close enough for them to drive back to Davenport. It would make for a long night, but the roads weren't usually too bad that late and most of the traffic would be heading to Chicago, not from. He didn't mind the drive and Becky was good company. "I think he's more worried that we're going too fast and that we're going to screw up the relationship _and_ the friendship all at once."

Becky paused to pull him down into a kiss. "We're not. I get why he's concerned, but you don't have to worry, okay? Don't let stuff like that get to you."

_Easy for you to say,_ Seth thought as they loaded their bags in the SUV. He knew Becky got plenty of comments too, but most of them were warning her to watch out for him—as if she hadn't been his friend through the cheating, the leaked photos, all the bad behaviour he regretted. She might have told him he was stupid at the time, but she had still supported him through it all. Now people were trying to dredge up old ghosts, as if he hadn't grown in the past few years, and he hated thinking of people reminding Becky of all that. "Driver picks the first playlist," he declared as he got behind the wheel. 

"What a surprise." Becky kept up a healthy stream of chatter as he drove, though, making the playlist more of a background soundtrack, but Seth didn't mind. Whenever he stole glances over at her, she was talking animatedly, waving her hands and rolling her eyes, and he loved every movement. "Hey! There's a rest stop sign!"

Seth barely caught a glimpse of it. As he suspected, traffic was light, so he was pushing the speed limit a little more than he ought to. "Yeah. My mom and I used to stop there if she could swing tickets for a Bears game for me for Christmas. It's not much more than some toilets and a few picnic tablets." He slid his gaze over to her. "Why?"

Grinning, Becky pointed up to the moon roof. "It's not raining."

"Better not be, since this is mine and not a rental." When her grin didn't waver, he added, "Are you serious? It'll take us even longer to get home. . . . "

"I'll make it worth your while." Then Becky reached over and opened the top button of his jeans.. "I'll need to get in some practice in case we find a chair tomorrow, you know."

"I'm voting for the back seat," Seth declared as he detoured onto the off ramp. If he were honest, he had too much pent-up energy to last the whole drive anyway, so Becky's diversion was more than welcome. "Considering the bruises you got last time. . . ."

"They were worth it," Becky replied, easing his zipper down halfway. If they happened to get pulled over, it was still easy enough to fix before anyone would see it. "But if you insist. . . ."

Seth didn't remember it taking this long to reach the rest stop, but then again, he hadn't brought a girlfriend there since he was in his teens. When they finally arrived, it didn't look like much had changed. There were no other cars around and the site was too remote for anyone to care enough to install security cameras, but he still parked behind the building with the toilets and shut off the engine. "Becks, we can wait until we get home. . . ."

"I know we can." She paused to pull her shirt over her head and toss it at Seth. "But do you want to?"

"Given my options, no." Seth left her shirt on the driver's seat and stripped off his own after he stepped out of the SUV. Leaving his behind too, he opened the rear door and climbed inside to find that Becky had already crawled into the back and taken off her shoes and leggings, leaving her in a bra and panty set that jogged his memory. "When did that arrive?" he asked, pushing the rear seat back as far as it could go before pulling her onto his lap. It was one of the sets he had ordered after the incident with Sarah, but he thought one of the items was delayed.

"It hasn't yet," Becky confided, pushing his zipper all the way down and pulling out his cock. "But when Charlotte and I were shopping the other day, the store had it in my size, and I figured it couldn't hurt to have a spare set."

Seth grinned in the dark, running his hands up her arms to pluck at her bra straps. "Does that mean you won't get as mad if one set gets damaged?"

Becky laughed, wriggling up against him. "How about you wait until the second set actually arrives before you already plot its demise, hm?" Then she drew him into a long kiss, rubbing up against him just enough to make him groan. "Driver picks the first playlist. That's the rule, right?"

"Generous—though I'm sure I'll pay for it later," Seth added, trailing a finger down Becky's neck before reaching up to open the moon roof. "But still generous. And I still think we should go camping. But for now. . . ." He paused and then grinned. "Outside."

Becky's eyebrows rose. "What? My shoes—"

"You won't need them." Seth slid out from under her and stepped out of the car, holding out his hand to her. It wasn't that cold of a night, but Becky liked being warm and only being in a bra and panties wouldn't help much in that regard. "On the hood," he said. "If you _really_ want to see the stars. Don't worry. That road is gravel. We''ll hear if anyone's coming."

"Bet you're not telling Roman about this," Becky said, laughing as Seth helped boost her up onto the hood of the SUV. Then she stretched out, careful to keep her hair away from the windshield wipers. "Or else you'll get another speech."

Seth kissed his way down to her navel. "It would be worth it." Then he pushed her panties out of the way just enough and eased inside her, making her gasp. It was exhilarating, fucking in the open air, hearing the distant traffic and the chirps of nocturnal insects and knowing their own moans and pleas were part of that, but he hadn't accounted for the slickness of the hood. His jeans kept wanting to slide, so he had to brace himself with both hands, meaning he could only tease Becky with his mouth. She gripped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him, though, giggling each time he started to slip and groaning when he recovered with a particularly deep thrust. He ended up climaxing before she did, but he quickly slid down and finished her with his mouth, making her back arch up off the hood.

"Next time," Becky gasped, "no jeans." She let Seth pull her to the edge of the hood and help her down. "Other than that, though, camping could be fun." 

"Furniture shopping this weekend," Seth declared, pressing her against the SUV in a rough kiss. "Next weekend, tent shopping."

"That one just sounds bad on principle." They stayed tangled like that, kissing and teasing, until Becky started to shiver. "We've probably tested our luck enough for tonight."

"Probably." Seth sorted out their clothes and they got dressed quickly; while she put on her shoes, he readjusted the back seat. Traffic was even lighter when Seth got back on the highway, so he sped up a bit more than he would otherwise and they ended up getting to his house not long after midnight. "And still in time for another round."

"After we say hi to Kevin. I missed him," Becky insisted. After Seth parked and closed the moon roof, she started to go around to the back of the SUV to get her bag, but something caught her eye. "I think there's something by the front door. You want to go check or should I?"

Seth motioned her forward. "Go ahead. I'll grab the bags and be right there." The motion light flared when she was halfway up the front walk, but he still kept an eye out. He lived in a good area, but bad things could happen anywhere. A sharp sound came from the front door and he was ready to drop the bags and run to Becky's aid, but then he realized she was laughing. "What is it?"

Becky held up a medium-sized box and brought it over so he could see. The motion light didn't cover quite to where they were standing, but he thought he recognized a now-familiar logo. "What good timing," she said, still laughing. When she looked at the address, though, her giggles faded away. "You had it sent in my name?"

"Yeah. Technically it's for you, but . . . I just want you to know this is your home too, however you want to call it." Seth leaned in and kissed her. "And you don't even have to model tonight. I know it's late. We should get some sleep if we're going furniture shopping tomorrow."

Becky returned the kiss happily. "You're not curious to see if this set," she asked, tapping the box, "matches this one?" Then she pulled the collar of her shirt enough to show the bra she was wearing; after their detour, though, he hardly needed a reminder.

"Of course I am." Seth made sure the alarm was set on the SUV before he and Becky headed up the walkway. "But I think I'd rather see you in _au naturel_ for the rest of the night."

"French, huh? I'm going to tell Cesaro you're trying to steal his gimmick." Since she had a hand free, Becky unlocked the door and stepped in quickly, deactivating the alarm and setting the box down so she could help Seth.

"He can have French," Seth replied, setting the bags down and grabbing Becky around the waist, making her squeal when he pinched her ass and lifted her up. "I'd rather learn Irish instead."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you want me to put it there?" As soon as Seth said it, he shut his eyes and braced himself for Becky's inevitable comeback, but she just laughed. "The longer you act like a horny teenage boy," he added, "the longer this is going to take."

"Only one of us has experience being a horny teenage boy," Becky replied sweetly, leaning against the wall as she watched him reposition their new oversized nesting chair. "So I'll take your word for it. We could have had the delivery guys set it up, you know."

Seth shook his head. His home— _Their home_ , he reminded himself—was a sanctuary, a place he didn't get to spend enough time in. When he had been injured and forced out of action for months, it had felt like he was in a stranger's house. Now that Becky was living with him, he wanted as few strangers in the place as possible. "I can lift a grown man over my head, you know. I'm sure I can manage to move a chair."

Becky stepped away from the wall and tilted her head to the side. "I think it looks good there. What do you think?" She beckoned him over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

The nesting chair— _barrel chair_ according to one of the salespeople, but he would default to whatever Becky called it—was unlike anything else in Seth's living room, but he thought that made it stand out in a good way. Becky had her own designated rooms and items scattered throughout the house—specifically a toaster he had thought was ridiculously expensive, considering that its only function was to toast things—but this was the first thing that was noticeably different, and he liked the addition. He liked having her more represented in the house; then when she was away, he had echoes of her, touchstones to remind him that the relationship was actually happening and not just a half-formed wish in his head. "I like it," he declared.

A slight frown pinched Becky's mouth. "It's the only thing in the room without angles. Are you sure? I could probably fit it in my office if I moved some stuff around. . . ."

"Tempting, if only because it would give me an excuse to go in your office," Seth teased, pulling her into a kiss. "But no. You'd never get anything done, and it looks fine where it is. It's good, Becks." He smoothed hair behind her ear. "It'll just take some getting used to, that's all."

"Hm. I thought you were going to say it needed to be broken in," Becky replied, kissing his neck. "But if you just want to stand here and look at it, I guess we can—"

"How many covers did we buy again?" Seth shuffled her backwards to the chair as he asked, fingers dipping under the waistband of her leggings. "Three for here, two more for Los Angeles?" The salesperson must have thought they were either neat freaks, indecisive, or incredibly messy.

"I can go check. . . ." Becky pretended to start towards the stairs, but Seth swooped her up and sat in the nesting chair, settling her in his lap. "They're in my office. It won't take me a minute—"

"Too long." He pulled her in close, groaning a bit when she pressed up against his cock, but he didn't let her move away either. "We have to test out the chair, remember?"

Becky laughed as she eased his shirt out of his jeans. "Pretty sure _rough sex_ isn't one of the acceptable reasons for a return."

"I prefer the term _enthusiastic_." Seth commenced kissing her _enthusiastically_ , steadily working her shirt off at the same time until they were both bare to the waist. The throw pillows were soft enough against his back, but he wanted more room, so he reluctantly removed a hand from Becky's hip and tossed the pillows to the floor. "See? Nothing wrong with this," he murmured against her shoulder as he started sliding her bra straps down. "Roman's way rougher on my furniture when he's over here watching football."

Becky leaned back just enough to raise an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean you'd rather have Roman here? Because I can leave. . . ." She tried to scoot back, but Seth held her firmly in place. "We don't have one of the covers on, remember. . . ."

"Then we'll just have to be creative." Seth started kissing his way down her throat, peeling the cups of her bra down as she started to move her hips against him. "Or take it elsewhere—"

A sharp ringtone made Becky jump, her hand clenching Seth's hair so hard he winced. "That's your mom's tone," she said, easing off his lap and pulling her bra back into place as she darted over to the entry table where Seth had left his phone. "Hi, Holly?" A strange expression furrowed her brow for a moment. "Yeah, it's Becky—yeah, we're at home. Colby's just in the bathroom." The fib was so smooth that even Seth could barely hear a pause. "What's up?" Becky motioned for Seth to put his shirt back on and then said, "Oh, here he is. Hold on." Then she passed the phone to him. "Something about Kevin?" she whispered in his ear. "Nothing bad, from the sounds of it."

"Thanks." He tried to loop an arm around Becky's waist to keep her close, but she grabbed her shirt from the floor and took a few steps away before putting it back on. "Hey, Mom. What's up? Becky said something about Kevin?"

"She answers your phone now?" His mother's voice had a tinge of coldness to it. "Colby, what if it had been Leighla calling?" He and Leighla were trying to share Kevin amicably since they both loved the little dog so much; they had smoothed things over from his disastrous cheating episode, but they both knew they would never be more than friends again.

Since Becky was still in the living room, lingering by the stairs, Seth didn't answer either question. "Sorry about the wait," he said blandly. "What's up with Kevin?"

Holly took the hint, but her annoyed huff let him know she wasn't happy about it. "Leighla had to leave in a hurry. Family emergency. She wasn't sure if you would be home, so she dropped Kevin off with me. But I'm on my way to the airport, so I'll just swing by and leave him at your house."

Seth met Becky's gaze and made what he hoped was an apologetic face. He had just been feeling quite settled and mature—living with the woman he loved, buying furniture and making decisions together—and a few choice words from his mother sent him right back to feeling like a teenager caught making out with his girlfriend when his parents got home early. "Right. I forgot about your cousin's wedding. Sorry. Uh, yeah, we're here. How far away are you?" Becky was watching him for an indication of what to do. Her shirt was on the right way and she had smoothed her leggings, but Seth could tell from her eyes that she would be quite happy to pick right back up where they had left off.

"Five minutes, give or take," Holly said. In the background, Kevin let out a happy little yip, so he must have recognized the neighbourhood. "See you soon, honey!"

After ending the call, Seth shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Five minutes," he said, echoing his mother. "But she won't be here long, because she's on her way to the airport. We'll get Kevin settled and then I promise we are breaking in that chair."

Becky came over and went on tiptoe to give him a slow, sweet kiss. "Don't worry about it. We can take Kevin for a walk too. I missed him."

A lopsided grin overtook Seth's face. "That's the real reason you agreed to move in together, isn't it?"

"You're right. You're right! I'm sorry, but I just can't live this lie any longer. Kevin and I are leaving you and going to live together in Hawaii." Becky faked a swoon and put a hand to her forehead. "We never wanted to hurt you, Seth, but the heart wa—"

"Don't even." Seth kissed her for a moment before pulling back, going to the entryway to look at his reflection in the mirror there. He didn't look as rumpled as Becky had and his erection wasn't of comical proportions, but it was still more noticeable than he liked. Leaving his shirt untucked a bit helped, though it made Becky giggle knowingly. "It'll have to do," he said. His mom had been the one to buy his first box of condoms when he was a teen, so it wasn't as if Holly had delusions. When he noticed that Becky had one foot on the stairs, he grabbed her arm. "You don't have to leave. She has to get used to you being here."

Becky leaned in for another kiss before starting up the stairs. "It's fine. You said she would be quick. I can check the chair covers and set aside the ones for Los Angeles. And if there's enough time," she added with a saucy grin, "maybe I can get a little something set up."

Seth laughed. "So I get a goodbye quickie before you leave with my dog?" He might have been joking, but if something had happened to him or Leighla, Becky would be his next choice to look after Kevin. "And after we spent all that time furniture shopping. . . ."

"At least you got a really nice chair to show for it." Laughing, Becky blew him a kiss as she scurried up the stairs.

The doorbell rang not even a minute later and as soon Seth opened the door, Kevin zoomed past him into the house, sniffing madly. "Yeah, bud, Becky's here," he said with a smile as his dog promptly jumped up onto the nesting chair and gave it a good sniff before curling up and settling in. "Hey, Kev. Missed you too! Hi, Mom." Then Seth kissed his mother's cheek and stepped back so she could come inside. "Thanks for bringing Kevin over. Did Leighla say if she called me? I had my phone on and it's charged, but the only call I had this afternoon was from Marek."

"The chair's new," Holly remarked. The lack of follow-up comment meant she hated it. "Becky's?"

"Ours," Seth corrected. "She has one in Los Angeles that's really comfortable, so we thought we'd get one for here." He was trying to stay calm, but his mother's subtle disdain was getting to him. "What, Mom? Just say it."

"It doesn't fit your decor, Colby," Holly began haltingly. "And . . . and don't you think it's a little soon? I know you were friends with Rebecca for a while before you . . . got together." Her deliberate pause was steeped in disapproval, but he barely registered it; he hated the way she said _Rebecca_ , because for him it was like an honour, a treasure. "But you were with Leighla for seven years, Colby! And Sarah for two!" He noticed that she completely skipped over Zahra, and he wondered if she placed Becky in the same category just because they were both wrestlers. "You're on the road all the time, playing a character. Maybe you need some time to just be single, be yourself. There's no rush to be in another relationship again so soon."

Seth thought back to all the divorces his mother had done through, the bad dates she complained about while he was growing up. He knew she meant well, but intention only went so far. "Mom, I like the chair. And I love Becky. Neither one is going anywhere." The kiss he placed on her cheek was probably stiffer than it should have been, but he was trying to keep himself from getting defensive. "Thank you for getting Kevin from Leighla and bringing him here. I'll text her to let her know Kev's here and send my wishes to her family."

"Colby, don't get upset." Holly reached for his hands and squeezed them. "I just want you to be happy and I know you've had a hard time with relationships, so I worry. . . ."

"I know, Mom. But you've got a plane to catch. We'll talk later." Seth took advantage of the height difference between them to kiss the top of her head. It gave him time to clamp down on his irritation and hopefully let the anger in his eyes simmer down. "Have a good flight."

"Thank you, sweetheart." After patting his cheek, Holly paused for a moment and then called out, "Bye, Rebecca!"

Thinking back to Becky's claim of getting _a little something set up_ , Seth didn't expect her to make an appearance, but she did, her meet-and-greet smile firmly in place. "Sorry about that. I was just unpacking the shopping bags. Hope you have a good flight!"

"Thank you." Now that Becky was there, Holly seemed somewhat sheepish, and she bumped into the door on her way to leave. "I'll see you next week, sweetheart."

Seth shut the door behind her and went to the window to watch her leave. When he turned back, Becky was perched on the edge of the new chair, gently stroking the head of the now-snoozing Kevin. "At least he approves of the chair," she said. Her smile was less forced now, but it still wasn't the one he loved the most. 

"It must smell like you." Seth came over and ruffled Kevin's fur a bit, but the small dog remained resolutely asleep. "Well, looks like we'll have to break in the chair another time."

Becky stood gingerly, trying to not disrupt the sleeping dog. "I guess we'll have to think of something else to do, then."

"Or just some other place to do it," Seth pointed out. "Like your office?"

"Too cluttered. We could go to the games room," she suggested, "as long as all the cams are off." It was bad enough that Samoa Joe had spotted her underwear in there before she and Seth were an official couple. A few weeks after that, they had been making out on the couch and didn't realize Seth had left one of the cams on until Cesaro's face appeared on one of the screens and he swore in an impressive array of languages.

"Sounds good." Seth started pulling Becky towards the gaming room. "Have a good sleep, Kev. A nice long sleep. . . ."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I changed a small line in the phone conversation because I just remembered something that's coming up in the story. It doesn't make a huge difference, but I wanted to mention it for people like me who will notice the change and wonder if something is messing with their memories.)

Seth's Davenport neighbourhood was so different than Becky's in Los Angeles, but the more time she spent there, the more it felt like home—not just her current-day home, but where she had grown up. Sure, she knew the neighbours more by their dogs than by their own names, but no one seemed to mind; if they remembered her name, it was likely because she was the only person in a ten-block radius with an Irish accent and fire-hued hair. She would never stop loving Los Angeles, but the friendliness in Davenport went a long way to making her feel welcome. At Seth's cafe, they knew all her favourites by heart now and would start making a 'Bexpresso' the minute she walked in the door, and some of the students at Black and Brave treated her like a third teacher, listening to her stories and advice with the same focus and respect they paid to Marek and Seth.

It still wasn't Ireland, though, and even spending time with Finn and Sheamus wasn't enough to cure the homesickness that had never really left her since she came back to the States. Becky tried to call home at least once a week, but it could be hard to find time to call her mother and father separately. Seth was at the wrestling academy teaching a class, so it was an ideal time to try calling. First she tried her father, but he didn't answer, so she called her mother next after making sure her phone had a good charge before she switched to the video chat option. Seeing her mother's face on a screen wasn't as good as being with her in person, but it was better than a disembodied voice on the phone. "Hey, Ma," she said when her mother answered the call. "Is this an okay time for you? I was going to talk to Dad first, but he didn't pick up."

"Oh, hello, Rebecca!" Once upon a time, Annette was the only one who called her _Rebecca_ ; now that Seth was using it more often, Becky was starting to develop a very different reaction to it, so she had to school her expression. "Your dad and your brother are out at the pub." Then she squinted at her phone screen. "Where are you? I recognize your chair, but . . . it's a different colour? Did you get a new one?"

Becky shook her head. "I'm at Seth's." It made her twitch a bit to say it, but her mother, like Seth's, thought the relationship was progressing a little too quickly. "I was missing my chair, so we bought one for here," she explained, patting the curved arm. "They're actually the same colour, but this one just has a different cover on it." Her mother didn't need to know that they were on the third cover because the other two already needed to be cleaned. 

"Ah. Well, at least you kept yours," Annette replied.

Becky knew her mother well enough to hear what wasn't said. "Mom, if we break up, Seth's not going to try claiming my chair. He's not like that. We both pay our own way."

"I know, dear. I just think it's a little hasty, that's all. You have so little time at home as it is!" Annette sighed and sat down in her own favourite chair, one Becky knew well. She had slept in it as a kid when she was sick, and cried herself ragged there over heartbreaks. "And you're on the same show, so it's not like you don't see each other all the time anyway. . . ."

"But sharing a hotel room is different than sharing a house." The hotel room should have been more intimate—smaller, nowhere to hide—and in some ways it was, but Becky loved stretching out with Seth on the couch and watching TV or talking as they worked together in the kitchen. Even some of their closest friends still assumed the relationship was mostly physical, and it was getting disheartening. 

"I know, and maybe . . . maybe that's a good place to start. You were doing well spending weekends together, right? Why rush things?" Annette pulled a pillow onto her lap. "When's the last time you and Charlotte had a girls' weekend? Or Sasha or Bayley or Naomi? You don't want to neglect your friends."

"I'm not." Becky had been on the receiving end of that treatment too many times to treat others that way. "Mom, I appreciate the concern, I do, but I've known Seth pretty much as long as I've known the Four. You must remember me talking about him."

Annette sighed again, but this time she looked almost shifty. "I do, but . . . Rebecca, have you seen some of the things on the internet about him?" Before Becky could stop her, Annette started listing things off. "Leaked nude photos—not just of him, but of the girl he was cheating on his fiancee with. She even tried selling her engagement ring, so you know there was more to it than just the cheating. And then there was some sort of text exchange trying to arrange sex with a fan at a hotel? Plus some rumours about—"

"Mom. I know all of those things," Becky insisted, straightening up. Tears of frustration were pricking her eyes, but she didn't dare cry, because she knew her mother would misinterpret it. "I was his friend through all of those things. I talked with him and gave him advice and helped him get his mind off all the bullshit when it got too much. That's what friends do."

"But . . . that girl he cheated on. He was with her for seven years, Rebecca!" Annette's eyes went steely. "Doesn't that bother you?"

Becky half-turned so her mother wouldn't see her rolling her eyes. "Does it bother me that he cheated? Yes. It bothers me when anyone cheats, because it's unnecessary pain to someone you claimed to care about. If you're not invested in the relationship anymore, end it and move on, I say. But he and Leighla are friends now. They're over it. They share their dog. We even went to the dog park all together last week, Ma! Seriously, Seth has acknowledged that he fucked up and he worked at being better. I've made mistakes too, as I'm sure you remember."

Annette's eyes went wide. "Nothing like that!"

Becky prayed for an excuse, _any_ excuse to get off the phone so she didn't end up yelling at her mother. Annette was normally supportive of her relationships, so she wasn't sure where all this negativity was coming from. "Mom, I'm happier than I've been for a while now and—" When she heard the sound of a key in the lock, her heart almost ascended to the heavens. "Gotta go. My parcel's here," she fibbed. "I'll call later, and tell Dad I'll catch him next time. Love you." Then she disconnected before Annette could protest, dumped her phone on the chair, and ran to the door, opening it just before Seth pushed it in. "Thank god," she muttered, pushing him against the wall and kissing him desperately.

Seth's hair was still wet from his shower at the wrestling academy, sending droplets coursing down Becky's hands and arms, but she didn't care and Seth enjoyed the enthusiastic welcome until they both needed to breathe. "Hi to you too. Not to sound ungrateful, but what did I do to inspire that?"

Becky's first instinct was to make up a harmless lie. Seth already had enough residual anxiety over the cheating—even though Leighla had told him countless times that she was over it—and the leaks, and he didn't need that negativity to be resurrected. "I was just talking with my mom." When Seth glanced over her shoulder and saw her phone on the chair, he started to comment—to apologize for interrupting, no doubt—but she kissed him silent. "And she was being . . . negative." It didn't do justice to the claims, but Becky didn't want to give them any more attention; they already had more than they deserved. "So I decided I wanted something positive instead." She kissed him again, gentler this time, and they made their way into the living room, abandoning Seth's bag at the door.

"Keep this up," Seth chuckled, "and it's going to be a positive on a pregnancy test." He let go of her just long enough to move her phone and then he sat in the chair, pulling her leggings halfway down with one tug. As she steadied herself with her hands on his shoulders, he slid her panties down too, then eased both off one leg at a time.

She replied only with touches at first: kissing Seth fervently, shoving Seth's shorts down far enough to free his cock, pushing his shirt up over his abs. "Maybe later. I still want you all to myself for now."

Seth yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. "Does that mean you aren't leaving me to live with Kevin in Hawaii?" He pulled her in close, his cock pressing against her just hard enough to make her whimper.

"The language barrier was too much," Becky quipped weakly. "We've decided to stay friends. We'll share custody of you on the weekends." Then she curled her fingers around his cock and stroked him until he was begging to be inside her. "We'll have to be careful not to use that joke backstage," she noted, breath catching as she lowered herself on him slowly. "Or else rumours will start going around about me and Kevin Owens."

"Never thought of that." While Becky concentrated on riding him, Seth pulled off her tank top and sports bra. She had been planning to go for a run after she was off the phone with her mother, but this was a far more enjoyable workout. "Good thing we bought . . . three covers, huh?"

"Five, technically," Becky corrected him, biting down on his shoulder. "We never did take the other two to Los Angeles. Maybe that's a good thing."

Seth hissed as her teeth sunk in, but he held her head there all the same, fingers twitching in her hair. "Maybe we should go back to the furniture store tomorrow."

"Maybe we should stay in bed," Becky countered, rocking harder.

Seth's head fell back as he groaned. "I like that idea better."

"I thought you would."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I fixed an error in the previous chapter which said that Becky had already gone to the salon for her hair, because it was easier than redoing a large part of this scene. The previous chapter now reads that the three of them had gone to the dog park together.)

It was a celebration, or at least an occasion. Becky wasn't entirely clear on what was being celebrated or what occasion it might be, but that didn't really matter. Seth's coffee shop had hit some sort of important milestone—millionth cup of coffee sold or something like that—so he was hosting a party at the house. Somehow, saying _the house_ rather than _our house_ still came easier to Becky, though she rarely called it _Seth's house_ anymore. She thought the actual cafe would have been the logical place to hold the party, but she could also understand everyone wanting to get away from the place where they spent several hours each day. 

The cafe didn't have dozens of employees and not everyone was able to make it, but it still made for a lot of people in the house, so Seth had asked Leighla if she could take Kevin earlier that weekend and she had agreed—until she got stuck behind a traffic accident. "Kevin can hang out in my office for a little bit," Becky had offered. "It's out of the way and there's already a dog bed in there, so he can snooze. He'll be fine."

"Thanks, babe." Becky might have been the more social of the pair, but the coffee shop was still definitely Seth's, so he was busy talking with all the guests. Coffee was brewing, of course, and the kitchen was a never-ending circuit of coffee mugs and spoons being used and cleaned and then used again. "Leighla said she was on her way."

Becky kissed his cheek and went to get a cup of coffee of her own. She had been so busy talking with people and then making sure Kevin was settled that she hadn't tried the cafe's newest roast yet, and she wanted to get a cup before it was all gone. As she was pouring her coffee, she glanced out the window and saw a car park in front of the house, its headlights going dim. _Must be her_ , she thought. Seth said all the cafe staff who were able to attend were already there, and Holly knew that Seth was hosting a party, so she wouldn't just pop by. Murmuring small talk to people as she passed, Becky reached the front door just as the doorbell started to ring. A quick glance told her she was right, and she opened the door quickly, toasting Leighla with her cup. "Hey. Thanks again for picking him up early." 

"Not a problem. Extra time with my boy is always a good thing." Then Leighla took a deep breath and shut her eyes. "Wow. It smells incredible in here." 

"That's because it's a party for the coffee shop. If it were for a Black and Brave graduation," Becky quipped, "it wouldn't be nearly so pleasant." Then she cleared her throat. "Hang on and I'll get Colby for you. Did you want some coffee while you're waiting?"

Leighla shook her head. "I have a few errands to run before everything closes down. And don't worry about Colby. It's good for him to be socializing. You can either bring Kevin down or I can come with you. That might be easier," she added. "Then he's not being passed around like a football with so many people around."

"Good point. Come in." Becky took Leighla around the largest part of the gathering, almost bumping into her beloved nesting chair. "I'll have to move that further out of the way."

"It's nice. Did you pick it out?" Becky steeled herself for some Holly-like comment about it not matching the decor, but Leighla actually paused to admire it. "He never put too much thought into decorating before. I mean, I sort of got it. He was hardly ever home, so why bother, right?" She looked around more intently as she and Becky cut across the room. "And that painting—was that you too? Most of the stuff he had up on the walls looked like something an interior designer would pick for a magazine photo shoot. It was nice and all, but . . . bland. It's good to see he's branching out."

"Yeah, we bought that in Hawaii. Pain in the ass to send back," Becky said, "but we both loved it." She cast one glance back at the group, but Seth must have been right in the thick of it, because she couldn't spot him. "Sorry about the mess." It seemed like the kind of thing you said to a visitor. "I figured there wasn't much point in tidying everything up right before a party."

Leighla laughed. "Yeah, I get that. Those coffee drinkers can get pretty wild. Once they start spiking the cups, all bets are off." She was glancing around the hallway as Becky led her to her office, but not in a snooping way; it was more like looking at an alternate reality, a life she might have had. "It looks really nice in here. It looks . . . like a place he wants to be. I'm glad."

Becky cleared her throat a bit, unsure how to reply. Leighla had always been friendly to her and she didn't want to make things awkward between Leighla and Seth, but she couldn't exactly say _Oh, I'm sure the place you two shared was cozy too_ given how their relationship ended. "Thanks," she said at last. "That means a lot. A lot of people think we're moving too fast, so it's nice to hear something positive every once in a while." That was probably oversharing, and Becky quickly brought her cup to her mouth so she couldn't say anything else. _Maybe someone already spiked the coffee,_ she thought, trying to subtly sniff at her cup.

"Fuck them. He's known you for years. It's not like you two just hooked up at some bar and then moved in together at the end of the week. You were always a good friend to him. He told me that." Leighla's lips curved in a bittersweet smile. "I was glad he had someone like you on the road to confide in. And . . . this will probably sound stupid, because no one wants to be cheated on, but . . . if it had been you he had been cheating with, I don't think it would have hurt as much, because I knew how close you two were. It wouldn't have felt like it came out of nowhere, at least."

Becky would have thought that would have been even worse, but she supposed she could see Leighla's point too. "I guess that's a compliment, in a weird way," she chuckled. "I've certainly had worse things said about me."

Leighla scoffed and shook her head. "Asshole exes don't count, especially when they're comedians. Everyone knows they're too thin-skinned; they expect everyone to bear the brunt of their stupid jokes, but when you fire back, they get all defensive and bitch about how _You can't tell a joke these days_."

"Yeah, well, lesson learned there, and bullet dodged." Becky breathed a sigh of relief when she reached her office door. Oversharing with Seth's former long-term fiancee wasn't something she had envisioned for her evening, and it was strangely both exhausting and cathartic; maybe it was just nice to have someone not criticizing her relationship with Seth every five minutes. "He's in here." Becky opened the door slowly so Kevin couldn't rush out, but he was curled up happily on his dog bed. Setting her cup on her desk, she crouched down and ruffled his ears. "Hey, Kev. Time to go hang with Leighla!" She kissed his head as she picked him and handed him gently to Leighla. "Thanks again."

"Any time. I know you two are on the road a lot, so don't be afraid to ask." Leighla cooed to Kevin for a few moments before looking back up at Becky. "Uh, can I just ask something? It'll probably sound bitchy and I don't mean it to be, but. . . ."

 _Here it comes_. Becky tried to ready herself. What was it going to be this time? _Don't you think a girlfriend outside the business would be better for him?_ Or _He's already cheated on two girlfriends. Do you really want to be the third strike?_ People loved to word it in such a way that it made them sound helpful. "Sure, go ahead," Becky said at last, grabbing her cup and taking another long swallow to keep her mouth busy.

"When did you last have your extensions done? I mean, they're not desperate or anything," Leighla added quickly, "but it's in my line of work, so I tend to notice. . . ."

"It's been a while," Becky replied, genuinely surprised. She knew she needed to do something about her hair, but it certainly wasn't the question she had expected. "And trust me, the Internet has no problem letting me know how bad they look. None of the red and orange dyes seem to want to stay in my hair anymore, so the extensions never match for long."

Leighla nodded, tucking a still-groggy Kevin under one arm while rummaging in her purse. "I can't remember if Colby or I told you, but I work at a salon. I totally understand if you don't trust me with your hair," she added with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I was very much _that ex_ , so I wouldn't blame you. But there's a lot of great stylists there, and they're amazing with colour _and_ extensions, so check out their Instagrams when you have time and see who you like. They'll get you all fixed up." She finally found a business card and handed it to Becky. "That's my number on there, but the first Instagram listed shows all the stylists' work."

"Thanks. I'll take a peek tomorrow." Becky nudged her office door open again and set the card on her desk before closing the room off again. 

"You were expecting me to say something horrible, weren't you?" Leighla flashed her a knowing smile.

Becky responded with a sheepish shrug. "Little bit, yeah. We've been getting it from all sides: family, friends, co-workers. I figure if I go into the conversation expecting it, it might not sting as much."

"That sucks. You two are great together." Leighla hugged Kevin close. "Listen. Don't let them get to you. I caught a bunch of shit when I was dating him too: I was a gold digger, I didn't appreciate him, I barely went to any of his matches—you know the spiel. And I know I did my fair share of shitty things at the end, so maybe I have no room to talk. But he loves you and this little man does too," she added, holding Kevin up and kissing his nose, "and that's enough for me. I did my time as the bitter ex. I'd like to try being a friendly one, if that's cool with you. I know you're used to Los Angeles, so if you ever want some tips for living in Davenport, just let me know."

"That . . . sounds nice. We should have coffee sometime, just the two of us. But _not_ at 392," Becky said hastily, "or else some dope is going to post a picture of us online and next thing you know, people are going to start thinking we're planning a threesome or something."

"Better than a custody dispute." Leighla held Kevin out so Becky could kiss him goodbye and then they headed back downstairs. The living room was curiously quiet, so Becky assumed Seth was showing their guests his gaming room. "I really love that chair," Leighla said. "When we do coffee, you can tell me where you found it."

"Kevin loves it too," Becky replied. As if on cue, Kevin started fidgeting in Leighla's arms when he saw the nesting chair. "So we all have excellent taste."

"Obviously. He gets it from his mama." Becky and Leighla both laughed at that, and when Becky opened the door for her, Leighla paused. "Call me when you have time and we'll have that coffee. If Colby doesn't trust us together," she added with a smile, "we'll take Kevin along as our referee. He'll keep us in line, won't you, Kev?"

Kevin's tiny tongue curled out and licked Leighla's nose. "I don't know if I'd trust a referee who can be bribed with biscuits." Smiling, Becky leaned forward to accept a Kevin kiss of her own. "The next few weeks are going to be a bit crazy, but after the pay-per-view it should be better."

"Sounds good. I'll start thinking of a place to for coffee. See you later." As she headed down the walkway, Leighla turned and raised one of Kevin's paws in a wave, which Becky returned.

After she locked the door again, Becky went back to the kitchen, poured another cup of coffee—the pot of the newest roast was empty, so she was glad she had poured herself some when she did—and went back to the living room. As she started to head downstairs, she heard a bunch of voices filling the lower corridor so she stepped back. "Becks!" Seth was up the stairs first and he placed a lingering kiss on her cheek as the others made their way back up. "Did Leighla get Kev?"

Becky nodded. "I saw her pull up, so I went to the door. You probably didn't hear the bell. I offered to get you," she added, "but she said it was fine."

"And was it? Fine?" Seth glanced around him as conversations blossomed again, people laughing as they went to get more coffee. "If she—"

"She was fine, Seth. Better than fine. She was really nice, actually." Becky felt tears pricking at her eyes, but she covered them quickly by kissing Seth again and then resting her head against his chest. "She complimented my chair—"

"Our chair," Seth corrected automatically, pulling her over to the aforementioned chair and sitting down, drawing her down into his lap gingerly so her coffee didn't spill on them both.

"She complimented _my_ chair," Becky repeated with a grin. "And made some recommendations for my hair, and said she'd like to go for coffee. Don't worry: we both know being seen together at 392 would be a bad idea." She wished it wouldn't be an issue, because she loved Seth's coffee shop and supported it as much as she could, but it was also something of a fan mecca, so she knew she had to watch what she said and did during operating hours.

Seth's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Wow. I'm . . . glad. I know things have been better between her and me for the past year or so, but that's cool to hear. She wasn't rude about your hair?"

Becky shook her head. "Nope. I was expected a parting jab or something—you know, lull me with kindness and then hit me with a tirade—but she was just . . . nice." Then she laughed. "I was very relieved. I know that sounds horrible, but. . . ."

"I know what you mean." Enough conversations were happening around them that Seth felt free to sit and cuddle with Becky for a few minutes, and even though their living room was full of guests, other people's laughter and voices, Becky had never felt more like this place was _theirs_.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone from the manager to the newest hire offered to stay behind and help clean up, but Seth and Becky politely declined each time. Since it had basically been a glorified coffee tasting, there wasn't much to do. All the cups would go in the dishwasher and what little brewed coffee remained could be dumped down the sink. Aside from a few wrappers and napkins on the floor—another reason they wanted Kevin safely away from the party—the living room just needed a general cleaning and for the furniture to be put back where it usually sat. "Congratulations, Mr. Business Owner," Becky declared, kissing his cheek and toasting him with her beer. They had both had far too much coffee that night, so they had decided on beer for a nightcap after they had cleaned up the worst of the mess.

Seth pulled her legs over his lap and set his cold beer bottle against her thigh, making her swear. "I think the party went pretty well, don't you?" During the cleaning, they had taken plenty of kissing breaks, which had intensified to stripping breaks, and now they were only left wearing their underwear. Their clothes were in a pile on the couch, with one of the legs of Seth's jeans trailing to the floor. 

"I think so. Might have been a different story if the drink of the night was beer instead of coffee," Becky pointed out. "We'll have to try a party with the Deadboys crew to test the theory. Or you could always host an UpUpDownDown tournament or something."

"Someone's feeling domestic," Seth teased. He set his beer on the side table and put hers there as well before pulling her fully onto his lap. "Are you already deciding where to put the Christmas tree?"

Becky laughed, eyes drifting shut as Seth ran his hands up her back and unhooked her bra. "You already have a spot for it," she retorted. She had never been at his house around Christmas before, but she was sure she had seen pictures. It was hard to recall them, though, now that Seth had slid her bra off and was nuzzling her neck, drawing his fingers down her back. "Over . . . over there?" She tried to look over by the fireplace, but Seth was kissing her again.

"Where would you put it?" Seth moved down to her collarbones, teasing her with little puffs of breath. His fingers crept beneath her panties, digging into her ass and urging her even closer.

"Bed," Becky sighed, sinking both hands into his hair and pulling his mouth away from her chest.

Seth pretended to play dumb for a moment. "You'd put the Christmas tree in a bed? That's new to me. Is it some Irish thing?"

Becky bit his earlobe lightly as she pressed right up against his cock. It probably damaged her resolve as much as his, but she loved the feel of him against her, the way it made his muscles tense up in anticipation. "I want to go to our bed," she whispered slowly. "I'm pretty sure this chair isn't designed for regular fucking."

"That's a major design flaw, if you ask me." Even as he teased her, Seth was happy to oblige, picking her up and waiting until she had her legs locked around him to start heading to the stairs. "But since you called the bed _ours_. . . ."

"Unless you want to go shopping for a new one." Kissing Seth's neck, Becky traced his back tattoo from memory as he approached their room. "Maybe you should have opened a furniture store instead of a coffee shop. Then instead of coffee tastings, we could test the beds."

Seth started laughing so hard he almost dropped her, and he pressed her back against the hallway wall as he collected himself. "That would definitely be a private party."

"I would send you a very fancy invitation," Becky promised, sliding down to her feet. "Good quality paper and everything."

"Only if it's delivered in person." Seth tugged on Becky's hand and pulled her into their bedroom. Then they were kissing again, tumbling onto the bed happily. "I love you," he murmured as he worked her panties down her thighs. "I love having you here with me. I love being in Los Angeles with you. You make me feel at home wherever I am."

Becky sighed when Seth rolled her over, whispering lovely things against the back of her neck as he pulled her panties off the rest of the way. She started to raise her hips to help, but Seth gently pressed her down with one hand against the small of her back. "Seth—"

"Slow?" The word drifted over her shoulder and reminded her of that heady tangle of a night when he'd been the brave one, asking her to stay, asking for more than hungry sex and stolen kisses.

"Please." If that night had been slow, this one was glacial. It felt like Seth spent an hour on her shoulders alone, kissing and caressing, even pausing to get a bottle of massage oil. By the time he was done rubbing her shoulders and upper back, Becky was surprised she wasn't purring. His hands were still slick when they wrapped around her hips and hoisted her to her knees, and she spread her legs in anticipation. The slow, sensual teasing continued, though, with Seth kissing and kneading her thighs until Becky though she was going to collapse. "Seth, please—" They were the first coherent words she had said for a while.

"Stay there." When the bed squeaked, Becky thought he might be going for a toy or something, but then she felt the mattress move again and Seth was on his back beneath her, his head between her legs. "Is this okay?" he asked, moving his hands up the outside of her thighs.

"Yes. Please." It was a position she had found awkward at first, whether giving or receiving, but Seth had been patiently showing her the pleasures of it, and it usually made her climax with almost painful intensity. He was exceedingly gentle this time, though, rising up to meet her first and then gradually coaxing her down to him. Her first instinct was to keep her hips as still as possible so she didn't hurt him, but Seth kept his hands at the bottom of her ass, ready to make space for himself if he needed to.

When she started moving her hips against his face, Seth responded in kind. "Sit up for me?" he asked—pleaded, really, pressing his words against her quivering thigh. "You're not going to hurt me."

"I don't want to break . . . your beautiful face." Becky's reply was shaky, and not just because Seth had brought her to the brink of orgasm several times over. 

"You won't." Seth ran his hands up and down her thighs as she caught her breath. "But if you're not comfortable with it, Becks, that's fine. We can something else. . . ."

"I know." There was something incredibly vulnerable about the position to her, sitting over his face, watching him watching her. With her last partner it had made her so self-conscious, she had stopped doing it entirely. Shaking, Becky slowly sat back until she was straddling Seth's shoulders. "This is my hang-up, you know. Not yours. You don't have to—"

Seth gripped her hips tightly. "I know I don't have to. I want to. I want to show you that the problem wasn't you. It never was."

Becky reached down and smoothed some sweaty curls out of his face. "You might be a bit biased in that regard," she murmured. "I—fuck, you make me come so fast this way. It makes me dizzy."

"I'll go slow," Seth promised, urging her a bit closer, a bit lower. "And if you need me to stop, tap."

"This is about the only way you can make me tap out." It didn't hold much of Becky's usual bravado, but it still made Seth smile, and he took his time starting up again, teasing with his hands while his mouth took a break. "Ready?"

Nodding, Becky squirmed closer, gazing down at him. His eyes were beautiful and clear, laid bare for her to read every emotion, every want. "I know you like it when I keep my eyes open," she said, "but I don't think I can."

"That's okay." True to his word, Seth started slowly, holding Becky's hands for a while until she found her own rhythm, her own balance. Then he let his hands fall back onto her thighs, helping brace her as she started to move. She hadn't meant to, at first; she was still worried about accidentally kneeing him in the head or something, but the pleasure was too hard to fight against. Seth kept holding her gaze as long as she could keep her eyes open, and her moans were almost like sobs. "Becks?" He pulled away slightly. "Still okay?"

"God, don't stop." Her hips were moving almost as fast as if she were riding him, and her orgasm made her arms give out, sprawling her across Seth. Not wanting her to worry, he quickly moved out from under her and stretched out by her side. "God, that's incredible." Becky let her head rest against Seth's shoulder as she cooled down.

Seth swept some of her hair over her shoulder and grinned. "Want to do it again?"

"Only if I can be closer to the headboard." She cuddled closer and kissed him, reaching down to stroke his cock. "Right now, I should repay the favour."

"It wasn't a favour." Seth rolled her onto her back again and slid into her easily, and proceeded to show her that their pleasure was shared as much as their bed was.


	9. Chapter 9

_Red Valkyrie shot the food!_ Seth was hearing more of the video game's tinny voice in one hour of playing with Becky than he had during his entire childhood. He had purposefully bought some retro games to keep at their Los Angeles place—he didn't think the city itself would ever feel like home, but the part Becky had claimed for herself was starting to—thinking that she might find them easier to play: fewer buttons, more straightforward, and usually pretty simple. For better or worse, though, Becky could complicate the simplest matter. If nothing else, it made playing _Gauntlet II_ far more interesting than it had been when he was a kid.

"Shit. I thought it was a ghost or . . . what am I shooting at again?" Becky leaned forward, peering at the television screen. To make the game even more interesting, Seth had suggested a strip element. It wasn't an UpUpDownDown-approved way of keeping the game even, but it worked for the two of them. He figured it was even sporting, in a way: Becky was likely to lose items of clothing first, which would distract him, making him lose in turn. She was currently only wearing a bra and panties, but since it was a hot day, she didn't mind too much.

"Anything that's not me, food, or a potion," Seth explained, pausing the game and going up to the screen to point out the game's different options. Her television was a marvel, but converting 8-bit anything to modern technology was always going to be jarring. "Or you can just keep shooting the food and dying."

Becky glared up at him as he sat back down beside her. So far he had only lost his shirt, and that was mostly to keep her from feeling too frustrated—plus if she got distracted, she would be more likely to make mistakes too. "Any hopes you ever had of me doing a Red Sonja cosplay are beyond dead now. You know that, right?"

Seth leaned over and kissed her before restarting the game. "Chain-mail bikinis are overrated. Come on. Head left. The exit's that way."

"But there's a potion over there!" Becky insisted. Since the game wasn't split-screen, she could only go so far until Seth's character, standing in place, stopped her. "There's a potion!"

"Look." Seth pointed to her status bar. "You have enough potions. Come on. Let's go to the next level already. We should be heading to the gym in half an hour." If he had been playing by himself, he would be at least ten levels ahead of where they were, but it wouldn't have been nearly as amusing.

Becky flopped back against the couch. "There's another level? How many are there?"

Seth couldn't remember for certain, but he knew the number was probably far higher than Becky had bargained for. "Not sure. Twenty more or so?" That was probably a conservative estimate, but he doubted they would get anywhere close to the end. Becky would lose the rest of her clothes or they would start making out.

When she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, sliding it down her arms and flinging it aside, Seth thought he might get both at once. "For shooting the food," she explained, straddling his lap and kissing him. 

He didn't need much coaxing to set his controller down; Becky was far more fun to play with, so much so that it took him several minutes to realize the game music was still playing, the tinny voice still making its obnoxious decrees. _Blue Warrior shot the potion! Blue Warrior ate the poison! Blue Warrior ate the poison!_ Then the death pulse began: _Blue Warrior is about to die!_ Seth pulled back enough to glance down and see that Becky was button-mashing his controller with her free hand. Somehow she had made his character get a ricochet power-up and his own shots were killing him. "Hey! Hey! That doesn't count!" Seth tried to take the controller from her, but ended up knocking it off the couch instead.

Becky yelped when Seth pushed her off his lap and reached for his controller, and she quickly grabbed her own before he could. "Wait! Where's my person?"

Seth laughed as he straightened up, tickling her bare side with one hand while manipulating the controller with the other. His life meter was almost drained, but there was no food in sight. "Like I'm going to tell you after that!" he grinned, planting a pillow on his lap so she couldn't try to distract him by reaching for his cock. 

"Choosing a video game over your girlfriend. How cruel." Becky hit the pause button and grinned. "Now do you really want to do this until we leave for our workout with Joshy, or do we get to move on to the next game?" Given the nature of strip rules for any game, the next game they would play was fairly obvious. 

"If we move on to the next game," Seth pointed out, reaching for her controller, "we won't have much energy for the workout." He had something planned for later as well, but he had managed to keep it a secret thus far and he hoped his luck held out until the evening.

"Not necessarily." But Becky still handed her controller over with a sigh. When Seth went to the game menu to save the session before quitting, she stealthily plucked the pillow away and kissed his abdomen, eyes sparkling up at him. "Or we can just get ready, if you want." She rested a hand on his thigh—high enough to indicate what she wanted, but far enough away to give him space to think.

Seth glanced up at the wall clock and tried to do some quick math as he turned off the game. Normally their workouts weren't a highly scheduled affair, but his plans for the evening required some special supplies, and those were currently in hiding at the gym. Since Joshy had plans of his own, Seth had to retrieve his secret items before the gym closed. "We don't have a lot of time," he said slowly. "Maybe for one—"

"That's fine." Becky shoved his shorts down and pulled out his cock, licking it slowly while her hand moved down lower. 

"Fuck." Shutting his eyes, Seth threaded one hand through Becky's hair and rested the other on her bare back, stroking gently. Her ass was vexingly just out of reach, or else he would have squeezed it. When Becky pulled back for a moment to catch her breath, he tried to coax her forward, but she just shook her head and started sucking on him again. "Come _on_."

A bubbling sound like laughter made its way up Becky's throat, reverberating around Seth's cock and making him twitch. Becky resurfaced again, sitting up to kiss him while she wrapped both hands around him. "You can have your turn later," she promised. "And I'll even let you have the shower first after you're done."

"I'd rather—" Seth's protest was cut short when Becky moved back down, taking over with her mouth again, and it wasn't long before he climaxed, gripping a throw pillow with one hand and her shoulder with the other. "Fuck, you're good at that."

Laughing, Becky moved back, letting her head rest on Seth's thigh for a moment. "All the quickies in the arenas paid off. Now go shower and I'll get our stuff ready to go."

Watching Becky walk around the living room in only her panties, setting her bra on the chair before winding up the controllers and setting them on a shelf, Seth was tempted to bring her to the shower with him, but he knew that wouldn't help them stay on schedule. "Don't worry about the console," he said. "It'll be fine for a few minutes. I'll deal with it when I'm out of the shower." He kicked his shorts off the rest of the way and tossed them down the hall.

"You're just worried I'll mess something up," Becky teased. But she backed away from the console and headed to the bedroom, so Seth took a quick shower, just on the brisk side of cold, and made sure there was a fresh towel out for her when he left. "Done!" he called out, grabbing his shorts out of the hall and heading to the bedroom. Becky already had her clothes and his spread out on the bed, their gear bags on the floor near the door. 

Seth dressed quickly, trying to think about anything but his plans for the night, and brought their bags out to the main door. Then he hurried back to the living room before he could forget about the gaming system. The delay hadn't hurt it, though; it shut down easily and he tucked it all away before Becky was even out of the shower. "Just going to call Joshy to see if he needs us to pick up anything on the way!" Seth called out when he heard Becky in their bedroom.

"Okay. Be right out!"

It was hard to find a spot far from the bedroom, so Seth stepped out onto the balcony briefly to call their trainer. "Hey, I can't talk long. We're leaving in five or so. You've got everything at the gym?" he asked Joshy.

"Ready and waiting," Joshy confirmed. "Becks must know, though. You're sure you haven't given anything away?"

"I'm trying not to." Seth had kept plenty of bad or shameful secrets in his life, but he always thought the good ones were the hardest to keep because he wanted to share their joy. "Oh, right. I told her I'd ask if you need us to bring anything."

"Nah, we're good. I got a couple friends here, but they'll be leaving in half an hour, so don't worry about prying eyes." Then Joshy laughed. "Good luck keeping your surprise."

"Thanks. I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm," Seth added with a scoff, "but thanks anyway." Then he stepped back inside and locked the balcony door before he could forget. "See you soon." He disconnected just as Becky entered the living room, damp hair back in a high ponytail that she had to keep batting out of her face. "Ready to go?"

Becky nodded, sitting down to tie her shoes. They were already dressed in their workout gear, since they weren't doing anything else beforehand; sometimes they left the gym that way as well, choosing to shower back at home instead, but luckily—for Seth's plans that night, at least—they always brought a change of clothes just in case. "Joshy doesn't need anything?"

Seth shook his head. "Just us. Well, probably just you. He must be sick of my ugly mug by now." He knew Becky would chide him for that, which was half the reason he said things like that anymore, and he wasn't disappointed when she came over and pulled him down into a gentle kiss. "You're not, and that's what counts."

"Damn straight." Grinning, Becky picked up her bag. "That mug is under my protection now, mister, and I'll not have you besmirching it." Then she laughed. "You'll have to text Regal and let him know I used one of his favourite words."

"He'll be thrilled." Seth grabbed his bag as well, did a quick once-over of the main room to make sure everything was fine, and followed Becky out the door, locking up behind them. The instant he was out in the sun, heading towards his SUV, the weight of the secret seemed to double. _Just a few more hours,_ he told himself. Then he would be able to share it, and that would make it even better.


	10. Chapter 10

Working out was fun. Anyone who knew Becky from her youth would laugh if they heard her say that, but she had truly learned to enjoy fitness. The rush she got from lifting weights or doing exercises wasn't just adrenaline; it was knowing how much power she had over herself, how much control. With work and diligence, she could transform her body, and that never ceased to amaze her. Before she hooked up with Seth, she would have said it was a close second to sex for being satisfying. Now it was a distant second, but still on the list.

Since Seth obviously had something planned for the evening, Becky was tempted to forgo her post-workout shower and just leave; the sooner they left, the sooner they could be home and out of their clothes, working up a sweat in an entirely different way. But Seth seemed to want to talk to Joshy without her being around, so a shower was as good an excuse as any: it would wash the sweat away and stop her from overhearing anything she wasn't meant to. "I know I can shower at home," she said, coming up to Seth and kissing his cheek after she grabbed her bag, "but would I have time for a fast one?" Then she looked over to Joshy. "Or do you have to leave right away? I know you said something about closing early."

Joshy shook his head. "Go ahead. I figured you guys would want a shower."

Seth pretended to step towards the showers, but stopped short, letting his bag drop to his feet. "I can wait. But you go ahead, Becks. No rush. I'll get our new workout plans from Joshy while I'm waiting." Since they were rarely in California these days, Joshy often made them an assortment of workout plans: some for the road, some for at home, ones to accommodate common aches and injuries.

"Okay. Thanks, babe. I won't be long." Becky figured five to ten minutes should give him enough time to say whatever he needed to say, so she peeled off her workout gear and spread out her casual clothes on the bench. She even took the time to properly comb out her hair before stepping into the shower. "Naomi would be so proud," she laughed to herself. A cool shower would have been more refreshing, but she kept it slightly warm so the temperature wouldn't be shocking. She had only planned to rinse off, but since she had the time—which she hadn't back at home—she washed up quickly as well, though she left her hair. By the time she and Seth were done for the night, it was likely to be a mess anyway, so there wasn't much point in fussing with it until the morning.

Once she was out of the shower, Becky took her time drying off and dressing, even making sure all the used towels were in the laundry bin. After she stepped out of the locker room, she made sure the door made significant noise before calling out, "Ready! Especially if it involves coffee!"

Joshy was laughing when she approached. "I don't think you ever need to push him hard to get coffee on the menu." Becky tried to subtly search his face for any signs of concern, but he looked like his normal happy self. "Hope the road workouts aren't too rough. Let me know what you think. Cesaro was talking about wanting to switch up his road routine, so it'll be good to know what works for you two and what doesn't."

"Will do. Thanks, man." Then Seth looked to Becky. "Where do you want to go for coffee?"

"You pick." Then, just to tease him a bit, she added, "You were the one who said something about plans for the evening, so I don't want to ruin anything." Joshy's expression gave nothing away, however; he simply raised an eyebrow before retreating to his office. There was a brief flare of panic in Seth's eyes, but he hid it well, looping an arm around her shoulders and leading her out to where they were parked. "That new Mexican place was amazing, but it's not exactly on the way."

"No, no, that's good. Let's go there." He grinned over at her as he took her bag and tossed it and his into the back. "Unless you don't want to seen with me when I'm a sweaty mess, that is."

Becky laughed. As wrestlers, they were usually dripping with sweat at the end of a good event; she had gotten over any aversion to it years ago. "Considering how often _I_ make you a sweaty mess," she replied, "I can hardly complain, can I?"

"Is that a challenge?" Seth asked, sliding into the driver's seat. "Because I know it's not a subtle jab for me to cut my hair. . . . ."

Reaching over as Seth merged into the traffic, Becky trapped his man-bun in her hand. "No."

"Well, that's that then." They arrived at the Mexican cafe twenty minutes before it was going to close, so they got their coffees to go. "So are we playing _Gauntlet II_ again when we get back?" he teased. "As I recall, you were down to your panties."

Becky smiled sweetly. "I don't know what you're talking about. You can always finish the game if you want. I've been meaning to catch up on Lilian's podcasts. . . ."

"Nope." The Mexican cafe had been a bit out of the way, but Seth still got them home before the sun set. "I also seem to remember you saying that I could have my turn later, so I'll be invoking that."

"Does it involve more video games?" Becky hoped not. They were fun and she could enjoy them for a while, but she would never be as serious about them as Seth was. 

"Not unless you want it to. When we get inside, though," Seth said as he grabbed their bags from the back, "I'll need you to change into that white sundress."

Becky blushed a bit. He had spotted that dress at an outdoor market in Los Angeles a month ago, and she had already had to wash it six times because of him. "And?" She already knew the answer, but she liked to hear him say it.

"Just the dress." The way his voice lowered and his eyes darkened made Becky stumble, and Seth steadied her as they went to her front door. "And you have to let me know when you're ready," he added, kissing the back of her neck as he unlocked the door, "because I need a warning."

Craning her neck, Becky looked up at him. "This had better be a good surprise."

"I hope it is." Once they were inside, Seth dropped their bags by the door. "Leave them," he said when Becky reached for hers. "We can deal with them later. Go change, and let me know when you're ready."

"Fine." There was nothing in her bag that she needed desperately, so Becky headed into the bedroom, pulled off everything she was wearing, and tossed it in the laundry. Seth normally kept the white dress on his side of the closet so she couldn't hide it away, but she guessed that it was safe to look in since he had asked her specifically to wear it. She slid it off the hanger and it felt as light as a whisper in her hands. It was probably meant to be paired with something, and it was transparent enough that she would never wear it in public, but for their own private purposes, it was ideal: easy to put on, even easier to take off, and light enough that when it brushed her nipples, she always shivered.

Becky dropped the dress over her head and let it fall into place, shaking her hips a bit and adjusting the straps before heading to the bedroom door. "Ready yet?"

"Yep." On first glance, the only difference that Becky spotted when she returned to the living room was that Seth had taken off his shirt, and while that was hardly a surprise, it wasn't something she ever complained about unless she was really trying to concentrate on something else. What was left of their coffees sat on the entry table, but she doubted they would getting to them in a hurry, judging from the look in Seth's eyes. "Sit in your chair."

"Don't you want to shower first?" she asked, walking around him and sitting down in the nesting chair, curling her legs up beneath her. When she started tossing pillows out of the chair in anticipation, Seth caught one and lowered it to the floor gently. "What?"

Seth just shrugged as he took the other pillows and piled them on the other side of the chair. "Less mess later, that's all. I'd rather make a fun mess." 

"Like the type that makes us go back to the furniture store for even more chair covers?" Becky yelped as Seth grabbed her ankles and pulled her legs out, spreading them apart. "Pretty soon they're going to think we're using them to ship drugs or something."

"Let them." Seth knelt and started kissing his way up her leg, starting at the left ankle. He ran a hand up her other leg, letting it rest high on her thigh, the breezy dress bunching up over his fingers. "I like the chair. I like that we have one here and one there."

Once he had made it to her knee, Becky scooted closer so she could run her fingers through his hair. "I'm glad. I know Los Angeles isn't what you're used to." She thought she heard a zipper, but that didn't make sense, since Seth was still wearing his workout shorts.

"I wasn't used to you either, at the start." Seth was kissing his way up her thigh now, urging her to sit back as he moved forward. "Most of the girls I had dated before were. . . ."

"Different. And that's okay." Becky had met or at least seen his three most-recent exes, and there was a clear pattern—one she didn't fit in the least. She took it as a compliment more than anything. 

Seth stopped at the top of her thigh, pushing the dress up past her bare hips. "I would always ask them to move in with me, thinking it would make them feel like home—my home. But it never really did. Not until you."

A shiver ran through Becky that had nothing to do with the flimsiness of her superfluous dress. "Seth, I—" She expected him slide his hand between her legs or start licking her, but he kissed a trail up her ribs instead, and she shrugged off the dress to get it out of his way. 

"You make me so calm," Seth murmured, moving up to her breasts. "Wherever you are is home to me."

"I'm glad, bu—" Seth's hands eclipsed her back, pulling her forward to the edge of the chair. "Seth, is something wrong? You're acting weird." They had moved beyond the point of doubting each other's feelings, so the sudden outpouring made her anxious. Was he sick? Was he leaving WWE? Had everyone else's doubts and concerns finally gotten to him? There were too many possibilities she didn't even want to name.

"No." Seth cupped her face in both hands and kissed her deeply, making all the resistance in her muscles melt away. "I know people think we're moving too fast, but to me, it feels like we've wasted so much time. I think back to NXT or when you joined the main roster, all the opportunities we had and let go by, and I wonder what I missed."

"Don't think like that. Maybe we found each other at exactly the right time," Becky pointed out. "Maybe if we had tried dating earlier, it would have been a disaster and then we would have lost our friendship too. What we have now is what counts, right?"

"What we have now," Seth echoed, as if trying to make the words fit like puzzle pieces. "And, I hope, what we have to come." He settled back on his knees, dark eyes earnest and impossible to look away from. "Becky, I know it's only been a few months, but you've changed my life more in that time than some people have in years. For a while, I had stopped looking forward to the future; now I can't stop thinking about what my life will be like in a year, five years, ten years. Would you do me the honour," he said, reaching down briefly, "of being my wife and finding out with me?"

All her reactions came at once—tears, shivers, shock—and blurred as Seth held out what Becky swore was a small star. It was only when he reached for her left hand and she felt the cool kiss of metal that her mind realized it was a ring. A gorgeous marvel of a ring, glinting in the sunset. "What are you—what. . . ." Some tiny part of Becky's brain realized that wasn't the right way to answer, and then she blurted. "Yes. _Yes!_ God, Seth. But you—"

"Don't." Seth pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly and kissing her, and she felt the same tremor running through his fingers as they dug into her back.

Becky melted into him almost completely, only the ring keeping her from dissolving. It was so new, so unexpected; she kept trying to sneak glances at it, but Seth kept kissing her until she was dizzy. "You don't—you didn't . . . you know you didn't have to, right? I wasn't going anywhere."

"I wanted to," Seth murmured against her neck. "I wanted to more than anything. We . . . we don't have to tell anyone right away or start planning right away. I just needed you to know how I felt."

Looking down by Seth's knee, Becky saw that the cover of one of the throw pillows was slightly opened. "You didn't have it in the pillow the whole time."

Seth shook his head. "I was too paranoid to keep it here," he confided with a chuckle. "Joshy had it in the safe at the gym, and he got it for me when you were in the shower."

_At least that explains the subterfuge,_ Becky thought, cuddling into him. "You know we're going to have to think of a different engagement story, right? Because I'm not going to tell my mother that you proposed when I was naked and you were about to go down on me." Then she started laughing so hard Seth looked at her strangely. "Our friends would say it's very us, though."

Seth grinned. "It is." Then he nudged her further back on the chair. "So how about I get my turn now, and then we shower and go for a walk on the beach for a family-friendly proposal moment?"

Becky's smile was as bright as the diamond on her finger. "Yes."


End file.
